CLIFFORD POSSUM TJAPALTJARRI started his professional artistic career in
the early 1970s and did not put his brush down until 2002 when he was forced to
do so after falling seriously ill with cancer, which claimed his life shortly
after. According to Susan McCulloch, as cited in the `Australian Art Collector`
magazine issue 28, Clifford Possum
"...hardly had time to live his own history
before he became a legend and is now well into a mythological status."
Susan McCulloch is one of Australia`s most respected art critics and in this same magazine she also stated that "...Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri`s legacy may outlast that of all the central desert painters." This is a strong statement, which might not sit well with all, but it is, nevertheless, an informed opinion. But still a little narrow, for there can be no doubt that this artist`s legacy trumps all Aboriginal Art nation wide, because the art of Clifford Possum in relation to Aboriginal Art is what Picasso's art is to the Modern ideal. This takes nothing away from other achievers in the Aboriginal Art arena, just as Picasso's work takes nothing away from other Modern Art greats, but what it does do is to give this artist from the desert his rightful place in Art History.
Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri was not just a painter, but a gifted artist, who excelled in colour and composition and created motifs like the `hair string spindle` in his `Man's Love Story`, for example, that became iconographical symbols in the visual language of Contemporary Aboriginal Art. Another example is Clifford Possum's iconic fire motif featured in the artist`s `Fire Dreaming` paintings, though newly created motifs alone are but a fraction of the sum of Clifford Possum's influence on Aboriginal Art, as his works as a whole have had an enormous impact on Aboriginal artists across Australia as well as on the wider public.
To date, it is unknown as to how many paintings Clifford Possum actually created with his own hand, but once all the fakes and family paintings have been cleared from the artist`s 0wn body of works it may be discovered that the Master might have only created around 3000 paintings -if that- in his 30 year career. Many of these paintings will prove to be small works regularly created for everyday living expenses, while a small number will be more grandeur in size and in some instances masterworks. Some small works too will be found to be masterworks, as is the case with Clifford Possum's first paintings created on small boards during the 1970s and on linen during the 1990s.
All of Clifford Possum's paintings, however, are important, as every work by this Master has some unique quality all of its own. Meaning, that there is no such thing as a `bad` Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri painting, but rather paintings by this artist with different degrees of excellence. This is so, because Clifford Possum could not create a poor work, as his astute/innate sense of aestheticism prevented him from doing so. So too his passion to record his beloved inherited culture, which was the fundamental driving force behind the artist`s creative endeavours.
It is clear that the art world has some way to go before a complete understanding of the artist`s work is fully recognized, likewise in relation to Clifford Possum own life. But for now, however, what is known is enough to conclude that this Master from the desert offered the world a unique body of art that will be treasured for all time, as will the man, whose story is as tragic as it is remarkable.
A most recent accolade bestowed upon Clifford Possum
Tjapaltjarri is that one of his paintings fetched two million dollars plus a
four hundred thousand dollar seller's commission at auction in 2007. No doubt
more results like this will come given that this artist was not a one hit
wonder, but even more exciting is the inclusion of one of this artist`s
paintings in a pure silver collectable coin set commemorating four Australian
20th Century Artists, which was produced by the Royal Australian Mint. The title
of this collection is `2007 Masterpieces in Silver 11`. The coloured coin
features Clifford Possum's 1980 Honey Ant Dreaming, but even more exciting still
is that this coin is the first coloured coin that the Royal Australian
Mint has ever produced.
2007 Masterpieces in Silver 11
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