West MacDonnell Ranges, NT

Ivy Pareroultja is one of the leaders in a new generation of artists continuing the legacy of the renowned Hermannsburg School of watercolour painters. Ivy is the daughter of Edwin Pareroultja, a contemporary of Albert Namatjira’s and a significant artist in his own right. Significantly, Edwin Pareroultja’s painting 'Amulda Gorge', c.1947 was the first work by an Aboriginal artist purchased for the Gallery’s collection. Edwin, along with his brothers, Otto and Reuben, was known for his use of brilliant colour, graphic forms and strong patternation.

In recent years Ivy Pareroultja has mastered the skills inherited from her father to produce striking watercolours through the Ngurratjuta Iltja Ntjarra Many Hands Art Centre (Alice Spings). This art centre was established in 2003 to foster the Western Arrernte descendants of the Hermannsburg School of painters, and can be credited with a revival of their distinctive watercolour style.

Pareroultja’s works are distinguished by their luminous high-keyed colour, stylised forms and distinctive line work. The format of her paintings follow the established conventions for Hermannsburg works. However, Pareroultja offers a very personal account of this tradition, through the construction of enlivened landscapes that show the clarity of central Australian light and celebrate Pareroultja’s intimate attachment to country.