Comments

While I see that these last few paintings are held in high regard by critics and collectors all over, I find it interesting the differences between each piece and how I see more western influence in some yet more tradition in others, I will be further exploring this in my essay, but in doing this journal it has been interesting to see the many different styles of art and how different cultures express their stories in different strokes. It is interesting to get a view into where indigenous art could be heading in the near future and I hope to see more development in the movement and to see where this tradition can really go.

Tjapaltjarri, Tommy Lowry

Two Men Dreaming at Kuluntjarranya, 1984 

Here is another top selling piece by Tommy Lowry, It shares a style with both Possum and Rover with the use of dots and lines it is closer to Possum in its incredible detail. while i cant see two men dreaming in it, I feel that the piece is depicting the actual dreams of the two men and seeing that fuse together into this incredible composition of shapes and dots. 

Thomas Rover

All That Big Rain Coming from the Top Side 1991

Thomas Rover has two piece in the top seller list, this piece (title above) uses traditional techniques of dot painting, I would say that acrylics were used for the colours because there is a very vibrant feel to the yellows blended with the earthy tones. The composition is very interesting, having one half very bold and simple in terms of shape and lines then the other half being more detailed and splashed with colour.

Earths Creation

This is Emily Kngwarreye's Best selling piece fetching over 1 million dollars at auction. This piece is very different from an artistic point of view, Emily's brush strokes are very random in a way and the colours a varied and vibrant. When looking at this piece I see an influence from Monet with the combination of blended brush strokes along with the more bold strokes it can create an image of almost anything, however in my eyes I picture a great scenery. It is interesting to see that this piece is one of the top sellers yet it is vastly different from the traditional piece i am used to seeing.

Jason Wing Art

I have included some more works by Jason Wing to really show how different his approach is

Jasons work also includes some three dimensional pieces pictured on the left is one of two in a set, it is a bed made up of syringes and it has that bed of nails feel but also relates to the dreaming aspect of a lot of aboriginal art like the "dreamtime" that is so often depicted in a lot of paintings, here Jason has taken a more literal approach by creating the habitat of dreaming using what he feels i the substance of dreaming that being needles, drugs, hallucinogens.

Like other pieces in Jasons collection he uses the chinese adolescent as an image of his own heritage with his indigenous works, Jason is very influenced by street art and stencil works, and it has a great feel throughout the work with the use of layering these vectors over raw stenciled backdrops. there is alos a great use of vibrant colours in these pieces to really liven up the experience.

When I look at this piece I get the impression that the animal represents both sides of Jasons culture and that one horn from each is what makes Jason and how he identifies himself. Once again we can see jason depicted as the white/chinese adolescent, and that grungy stenciled backdrop which is very common in his works.

This piece called ABC by Jason Wing is really amazing to look at, I feel it has a beautiful composition and strong bold colours to really catch your eye. After looking at it for a few minutes you begin to understand that this is the aboriginal flag and the yellow centre which normally represents the sun is now a graphic representation of a young asian baby, the piece communicates Wing's heritage being half chinese and half aboriginal. the combination of these two cultures really bring a new element to indigenous art. The work that Jason is doing is really a step forward into more contemporary influences and I feel is a great direction for indigenous art to explore.

Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri

Warlugulong 1977

Warlugulong is the Anmatyerr name for a site 200 kilometres north-west of Alice Springs where, in ancestral times, Lungkata the Blue-Tongue Lizard Man created the first great bushfire. The main significance of this Dreaming or Tjukurrpa lies in the fact that it connects a number of language groups across the western deserts, and it is one of the most important for the artist’s Anmatyerr people.




This piece by Possum holds the record for the most expensive aboriginal art sold at auction, I am currently looking into these works and where the value lies within them. The value comes from both aesthetics and cultural background, but does one outweigh the other? There is a definite cultural background to this piece, knowing that Possum was one of the most influential artists within the Papunya area this work certainly has influenced many other artists around the area. The detail throughout the piece is astonishing and the depiction of the bonfire being the focal point of the piece is very clear to me.