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.

Lin Onus

Australian artist Lin Onus (1948-1996) was the son of a Scottish mother and Aboriginal father. Much of his work focused on the reconciliation of the two cultures he embodied. Clearly he was also a fan of humor. Here, in his painting entitled Michael and I Are Just Slipping Down to the Pub for a Moment, the Dingo, Onus's symbol, rides the back of the Stingray, the symbol of fellow artist and collaborator Michael Eather.

I really love how different this work is to most Indigenous art. The visible texture of lin's work is so crisp and developed beyond other pieces seen, and on further research into this piece I have found that the wave is very inspired by; Hokusai's 18th Century Great Wave Off Kanagawa (below). This shows that diverse artistic styles, like cultures themselves, can combine to make magnificent art. 

Emily Kngwarreye

Emily Kngwarreye - Big Yam Dreaming (1995)


I have a fond interest of this piece by Emily Kngwarreye, At first i saw this on the tutorial brief and thought about what she is trying to say with the composition of patterned lines along with random overlapping lines, it really reminded me of the bush land and its intricate characteristics. However after discussion I understood that it is an expression on a massive scale (12ft long canvas) of a cultural dance/ceremony in which the participants are painted with the same pattern/design as can be seen in Emily's Big Yam Dreaming. When viewing the piece with this knowledge parts of the painting really tend to jump out at you and become more life like in the shapes.

Albert Namatjira

Albert Namatjira is an indigenous artist which really opened my eyes to indigenous art. His paintings have a very western style and his use of his brush differs to most aboriginal art that i see around. While some of the paintings look simple with dots and lines, Albert makes you realise that there is real talent within indigenous art and that it should not be judged merely on visual stimulation but should be looked upon many times with a clear mind to really appreciate the stories and skill that go into these paintings.


Albert Namatjira

Different Regions of Indigenous Art

I found it interesting that there are distinctive differences in the art from region to region throughout indigenous culture. There are distinctive styles of painting and to understand these styles means that it is possible to distinguish what region the art is from. On first guess i believed the painting from the Kimberley region depicted more of a desert feel with the open large shapes spilt by fine white lines almost as if they were foot prints through the desert. 

The Desert Region
Generalised description of the style: acrylic on canvas, wide palette, dots and circles (joined by lines), grout paintings in sand.

The Kimberley Region
Generalised description of the style: predominantly rich, earthy ochre tones, blocks of colour, restricted palette, shapes outlined with white dots.

The Arnhem Land Reigon

Generalised description of the style: crosshatching (rarrk), natural pigments on bark, restricted palette.

·      How is religion represented in art? Compare the way that Aboriginal artists use painting and sculpture to express their religious ideas with the traditions of western European art.

I believe that religion is heavily represented in art through pattern, I feel that pattern plays a big part in art from hindu and muslim cultures while christian art is more expressive. I think that aboriginal artists express their ideas more through their stories and how those stories are depicted in the art.

·      We see strong use of repetition in Aboriginal art with the rark (cross-hatching) of the Arnhem Land artists and the dot paintings of the desert. Is this a unique feature of Australian Indigenous art?  What aesthetic qualities does it bring to the works?

The use of repetition isn't so much a unique feature as it is used in many other art forms, however it is a defining quality of aboriginal art. The repetition brings a balanced aesthetic to the art.

·      Many Aboriginal artists in recent decades living in tradition oriented communities have moved away from the iconographic styles of the ceremonial paintings of their ancestors and have embraced abstraction as a form of expressing their culture and religious beliefs. Does this make their work less authentic than that of the more traditional artists?

I believe that the embrace of abstraction is a new movement within aboriginal indigenous art. like any art form there are advancements and this is a new way of expressing their stories and religion.

Indigenous Arts & Culture

I have no experience with Indigenous culture, I have no prior knowledge of the art and culture within the indigenous community. That is why I am looking forward to this course this semester. Its only been one week and i've already learnt something. I imagined that all aboriginal art was dot paintings and rock scratchings, however I have discovered a very famous aboriginal artist. In 1934 Australian painter Rex Batterbee taught Aboriginal artist Albert Namatjira western style watercolour landscape painting. After looking into Indigenous Australian Art I found there is a variety of different styles of work found around indigenous communities. There are "aerial desert landscapes", "Rock engravings", "Stone arrangements", "Carvings & sculptures", "Weaving & string art" and then there is the iconography and symbols.


I think this course will be very knowledgable, and help give me a proper understanding of Indigenous art and the meanings behind the culture.