Albert Namatjira is an Australian Aboriginal artist.Namatjira Albert was born in Central Australia. He was a pioneer of Australian arts.Namatjira Albert was the first Aboriginal artist from Australia to make a name for himself. He was famous all over the world for his art and paintings. He was from the Mcdonell ranges of central Australia. He was born on July 28, 1902. He was born Elea Namatjira. The Hermannsburg Lutheran mission, southwest of Alice Springs, was his hometown, where he was born and raised. He was 32 years of age when he started taking painting seriously. His art was influenced by the western world and traditional Aboriginal art. He was well-loved by his Australian audience. Albert Namatjira’s descendants paint with the same style, incorporating western art.If you like this article all about the life and works of Albert Namatjira, then please make sure to check out our other fun facts articles here at Kiddal. We think you may enjoy learning about Albert Schweitzer and Margarita Engle. If you do, then be sure to share this new information with your friends.The Life Of Albert NamatjiraAlbert Namatjira’s parents were Western Arrente people called Namatjira and Ljukuta.His birth name was Elea, which was changed once he was baptized into Christianity. He was named Albert after that. When Albert Namatjira was eight years old, he used to paint paintings of landscapes. At 13 years old, he was a member of the Arrernte community in Alice springs. He married his wife at the age of 18 and had five sons and three daughters with her. Albert Namatjira’s life was complicated as he was ostracised because he married outside of his tribe in Alice Springs and apparently had the wrong skin color. He was then removed from the tribe. He used to work as a blacksmith, stockman, and carpenter. Albert Namatjira also went to central Australia, where he worked as a camel driver. He was awarded by the Royal Art Society in London. He started to do western style paintings. He built a legacy in the form of the Albert Namatjira Gallery.For which art form is indigenous Australian Albert Namatjira known?Albert Namatjira is known for his western-style landscapes.In 1934, John Gardner and Rex Batterbee introduced him to western-style paintings. He was taught how to paint with watercolors by Batterbee when he worked as his cameleer and drove him to local areas. He used the colors which were used by his ancient tribe, an ombre color in particular, but his style of painting was very modern. He was appreciated by many Europeans for his western style of painting. Tjuringa designs, which mean sacred object designs, were drawn by him in his early career. He carved various artifacts. He also drew upon biblical themes in his early career.Freidrich Albrecht and Battarbee took ten and seven of his paintings, respectively, and showcased them in an exhibition. The exhibition was held by the Royal South Australian Society for Arts in Adelaide. He held his first exhibition in the year 1938. Many of his exhibitions in Sydney and Adelaide were selling out. Queen Elizabeth II became a fan of his. He was awarded as an honorary member of the Royal Society of Arts in New South Wales. He was awarded the queen’s coronation medal in 1953.He lived his last days in Alice Springs. He was the first Australian Aboriginal artist to have his art in Australia’s major art galleries. His art was showcased at an art gallery. He was a proud figure for many Aboriginal people. His family’s Albert Namatjira trust serves the conditions of an Aboriginal person. Namatjira appealed to be an Australian citizen in his later days.What happened to Albert Namatjira?Due to his wealth, he was a subject of humbugging. Humbugging is the traditional culture in which one has to provide monetarily for one’s extended family. As his wealth grew, his extended family came running for his help. At one point, he was responsible for providing for 600 people in his family.He wanted to buy a cattle station, but he was denied the request as he had no claim of ancestor to the property. He wanted to buy a house, but he was cheated out of it. The land he bought was built on a flood plain, and houses couldn’t be built there. The minister of territories offered him land, but that was also rejected. At last, his family lived in a shanty cottage and dry creek bed. Despite being one of the most famous Aboriginal artists in Australia, his life was spent in utter poverty. As there were no laws to protect the Aboriginals and help them acquire land, at the age of 55, he was encouraged to apply for Australian citizenship. The social divide let him and his wife acquire Australian citizenship but left his adult kids and wards as Aboriginals. The caste divide was between the family. It was then illegal for an Aboriginal to possess liquor. Albert was sentenced to jail after he mistakenly left a bottle of rum in his car, and a fellow tribesman drank it. At first, he was sentenced to six months in jail; then, his sentence was reduced to three months. The High Court of Australia refused to listen to his appeal.Why did Albert Namatjira start painting?Albert Namatjira was interested in painting since he was a young kid.He was the most famous indigenous Australian in the world. He learned painting from other Australian painters, such as Batterbeck, in his early life. He drew distinctive Australian flora with white gum. Removed from his tribe after marriage, the life Namatjira lived was a very hard one. The Namatjira centenary stamp series is stamped in his name. Namatjira’s watercolors have his photo and have a central Australian landscape on them. He produced around 2,000 paintings. Albert Namatjira’s Aboriginal family finally won their battle and acquired rights to Namatjira’s paintings, which were under the Australian government. Namatjira’s work was very much applauded. He went on an eight-week painting tour. Namatjira’s richly detailed contemporary western style was well received by the art center. He held a solo exhibition. He was the first prominent Aboriginal artist to receive an Australian postage stamp. Namatjira’s art is featured in the Hands Art Center, among the works of the absolute greatest Australian artists. He was the first Aboriginal person to receive a queen’s coronation medal. He depicted the traditional culture of Aboriginal women in his first solo exhibition.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our Albert Namatjira facts, then why not take a look at our American inventions list or our amazing facts about Maine?
Albert Namatjira is an Australian Aboriginal artist.