Purchased from the artist by Raymond John Noble, Deputy Director Armed Forces, Alice Springs c.1945
Adrian and Anne Newstead Collection, NSW
Artwork story
Walter Ebatarinja was among the first generation of Arrernte watercolour painters trained under Rex Battarbee at Hermannsburg. His landscapes reflect a moment of great artistic adaptation: traditional knowledge rendered in Western perspective.
In Wallaby with Mount Sonder, Walter includes both the iconic silhouette of the mountain and a native animal, drawing the viewer's attention to Country as not just scenery but ecosystem. The composition is serene, the palette soft, yet there is a distinct sense of embeddedness - of painting as lived observation.
Walter Ebatarinja's works are increasingly recognised for their role in shaping Australian art history. This piece, with its quiet dignity, is an evocative document of cross-cultural exchange.