Untitled | AS-063

DOB: c. 1930 – 2017

Region: Walungurru (Kintore), NT

Language Group: Pintupi

Skin name: Tjapaltjarri



Dr. George was born southwest of Jupiter Well around 1930. He came out of the desert with his family in 1964, having never seen a white person before. An Aboriginal doctor, he was attached to the Kintore Clinic for some years and often visited and conducted traditional medicine at the Alice Springs Hospital (Hence Dr. George). Even though his English was limited, he found extensive success as an artist and traditional healer.

Dr. George painted two specific Dreamings, the Tingari cycle and Snake dreaming. He employed different techniques when painting. One style incorporated the use of rings in dot form or in block form whilst his other style incorporates the use of the above together with the arrangement of stripes across the canvas. His paintings convey his authority and confidence. They map both the land and the human canvas, providing a minimalist representation traversing the terrain and detailed, close-up views of ochre on skin.

Dr. George Ward was one of the early Central Australian artists to begin painting traditional designs on canvas. His background and experience of traversing desert landscapes, like his ancestors for thousands of years, have led to his works being regarded as highly collectible. Many of the state galleries have paintings by Dr George.