www.makingtracks.com.au - Books I would recommend..... Contemporary Aboriginal Art by Sue McCulloch, Images of Power by Judith Ryan ad Aboriginal Art by Wally Caruana, all available on the Making Tracks website
In 1995 the National Gallery or Victoria had an exhibition, Images of Power, featuring the four main art producing areas of the Kimberley, it was a comprehensive display of modern works.
The four art producing areas of the Kimberley are:
Warmun, Turkey Creek area, south of Kununurra with artists such as Rover Thomas, Jack Britten, Freddy Timms, Queenie McKenzie, Henry Wambiny, Hector Jandany, Paddy Jaminji. The paintings, all done in ochres, depicted the countryside, historical happenings and places of great spiritual significance.
Going northwest, the towns of Derby and Kalumburu is the traditional home of the Wandjina the creator spirit, the cave paintings of these sacred spirits have been there for over 40,000 years. Some of the Wandjina painters are David Mowaljarlai, Jangarra and Karedada family, Jack Wheera
Balgo Hills on the edges of the Tanami and Great Sandy deserts has some of the wildest artworks around. The artists use acrylic paint in a variety of hues, large areas of colour and patterns weave their way over the canvas telling stories of the country in the most vibrant way possible. Artists such as Helicopter, Eubena Nampitjin, Bai Bai Napangarti, Millie Skeen and Boxer Milner and many more paint in vivid pinks, yellows, blue and greens.
Art from Fitzroy Crossing, on the Fitzroy River, is different again. Their paintings are also wild and seem, at times, quite undisciplined. Watercolour paints are used on paper and they generally depict trees, animals, plants and land forms in a very abstract manner. Big and bold they show a great joy for their painting and a love for the land and the animals that live there.
Some of the artist from this area are, Daisy Andrews, Peanut Ford, Paji Honeychild, Dolly Snell
Monday, October 27, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Aboriginal Art - Worldwide attention
www.makingtracks.com.au
The Venice Biennele in the early 1990's caught the world by storm. Australia featured an artist, Rover Thomas, in its exhibition. The view then that was held that Aboriginal art was just tribal and of no interest to the art world. When people came to view the Australian exhibition they were literally "blown away" by Rover's works.
Works were painted in natural pigments depicting the land that Rover had grown up in and knew intimately. He had a way of painting in such a modern but minimal way that the art community of Europe and America that came to the exhibition to view these works wanted to know and see more and more.
This bought Aboriginal art to the world attention and art from the Kimberley, in particular, was really sought after.
tomorrow, more about art from the Kimberley
The Venice Biennele in the early 1990's caught the world by storm. Australia featured an artist, Rover Thomas, in its exhibition. The view then that was held that Aboriginal art was just tribal and of no interest to the art world. When people came to view the Australian exhibition they were literally "blown away" by Rover's works.
Works were painted in natural pigments depicting the land that Rover had grown up in and knew intimately. He had a way of painting in such a modern but minimal way that the art community of Europe and America that came to the exhibition to view these works wanted to know and see more and more.
This bought Aboriginal art to the world attention and art from the Kimberley, in particular, was really sought after.
tomorrow, more about art from the Kimberley
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Aboriginal Art - Papunya, the beginning of an art movement....
www.makingtracks.com.au
Papunya is significant for being the birthplace of the Aboriginal Art movement in the early 1970's. This was a time when the Europeans literally rounded up the Aboriginal people and bought them into compounds. The idea was to teach them to become cooks, cleaners, handymen etc. Parents were separated from their children, they weren't allowed to speak in their native tongue. While the parents worked, the children attended school to be taught to read, write and speak english.
Geoffrey Bardon, a teacher at Papunya, noticed that while the children were in class, when he asked them to paint eg a kangaroo, they would paint white man's way; the kangaroo had two ears, nose tail, but when they were in the playground the kangaroo was depicted as tracks in the sand...the children painted their traditional way. Geoffrey encouraged the children to paint Aboriginal way in class.
A group of men, who were there to do school maintenance, watched as the children painted, they asked for paper and paints to also be allowed to paint. I guess you can imagine how wonderful it would be for the spirit to be able to do something that is so familiar to you, after being made to do things that are totally foreign.
The men starting painting on anything that was available, table tops, window frames...anything was OK when the paper and canvas ran out. Geoffrey had a huge amount of paintings so he took them to Darwin, sold them and gave the men their money. From very humble beginnings the art movement had started.........
Bardon encouraged the local elders to join together to paint a school mural, this did create some debate amongst them, they had only painted traditional way., except for Kaapa Tjampitjinpa who had painted the odd board before.
Old Tom Tjapangati, the owner of Honey Any Dreaming gave his permission for Billy Stockman Tjapaltjarri, Kaapa Tjampitjinpa, Mick Tjakamarra and Long Jack Tjakamarra and others to paint the school mural. Sadly when Bardon left Papunya in 1972 the authorities ordered it to be destroyed, they felt things were getting out of hand, their idea was to get rid of Aboriginal traditions, not encourage them.......as we now know this didn't work....other artists continued the journey and the Papunya Tula Artist's Cooperative was formed....
next article.....Aboriginal art to the world.....
Papunya is significant for being the birthplace of the Aboriginal Art movement in the early 1970's. This was a time when the Europeans literally rounded up the Aboriginal people and bought them into compounds. The idea was to teach them to become cooks, cleaners, handymen etc. Parents were separated from their children, they weren't allowed to speak in their native tongue. While the parents worked, the children attended school to be taught to read, write and speak english.
Geoffrey Bardon, a teacher at Papunya, noticed that while the children were in class, when he asked them to paint eg a kangaroo, they would paint white man's way; the kangaroo had two ears, nose tail, but when they were in the playground the kangaroo was depicted as tracks in the sand...the children painted their traditional way. Geoffrey encouraged the children to paint Aboriginal way in class.
A group of men, who were there to do school maintenance, watched as the children painted, they asked for paper and paints to also be allowed to paint. I guess you can imagine how wonderful it would be for the spirit to be able to do something that is so familiar to you, after being made to do things that are totally foreign.
The men starting painting on anything that was available, table tops, window frames...anything was OK when the paper and canvas ran out. Geoffrey had a huge amount of paintings so he took them to Darwin, sold them and gave the men their money. From very humble beginnings the art movement had started.........
Bardon encouraged the local elders to join together to paint a school mural, this did create some debate amongst them, they had only painted traditional way., except for Kaapa Tjampitjinpa who had painted the odd board before.
Old Tom Tjapangati, the owner of Honey Any Dreaming gave his permission for Billy Stockman Tjapaltjarri, Kaapa Tjampitjinpa, Mick Tjakamarra and Long Jack Tjakamarra and others to paint the school mural. Sadly when Bardon left Papunya in 1972 the authorities ordered it to be destroyed, they felt things were getting out of hand, their idea was to get rid of Aboriginal traditions, not encourage them.......as we now know this didn't work....other artists continued the journey and the Papunya Tula Artist's Cooperative was formed....
next article.....Aboriginal art to the world.....
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Aboriginal Art....the journey continues....
www.makingtracks.com.au
tomorrow I will be writing more about the historical journey of Aboriginal art and how it is now a world-wide art movement.........apologies I mean to get on with it today, but unfortunately time has been against me....more tomorrow....Jude
tomorrow I will be writing more about the historical journey of Aboriginal art and how it is now a world-wide art movement.........apologies I mean to get on with it today, but unfortunately time has been against me....more tomorrow....Jude
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Aboriginal Art - going back to Dreamtime
www.makingtracks.com.au
Aboriginal art is one of the longest continuing art traditions in the world going back over 40 thousand years. Rock paintings have been found across the continent. Art is important to the Aboriginal people as it is a means of communication. Paintings tell where food is, where water can be found and also most importantly they connect to the creator spirits, many of these paintings can be found in cave drawings. The paintings done also express individual attitudes and relationships with people, animals, plants the elements, the land and the creator spirits.
These paintings tell the stories of the Dreamtime (they don't refer to the dreams we have when we sleep) but rather the connection to when this land was created, the spirits that were present then and are now....there are stories of the Wagilag sisters, Jundart, the lightening man, the Wandjina, the Rainbow serpent and many more. These Dreamtime stories are also the blue-print or law that provides the framework by which the Aboriginal people live, and again these are depicted in the paintings that have been done in the past and are still done today.
Originally Aboriginal art was done on the body for ceremony, in caves and also in the sand. Totems were carved out of wood. Objects made from stone and feathers, shells, seeds and bone were also used to make objects and decoration for ceremony and daily use.
Aboriginal art is an expression of the knowledge and the seniority of the individual, it also reveals their responsibilites and defines family and their connections to the land. Individuals inherit through their parents these rights and responsibilites, they must learn everything they can about their land, plants and animals before they become the caretakers.
Aboriginal art is one of the longest continuing art traditions in the world going back over 40 thousand years. Rock paintings have been found across the continent. Art is important to the Aboriginal people as it is a means of communication. Paintings tell where food is, where water can be found and also most importantly they connect to the creator spirits, many of these paintings can be found in cave drawings. The paintings done also express individual attitudes and relationships with people, animals, plants the elements, the land and the creator spirits.
These paintings tell the stories of the Dreamtime (they don't refer to the dreams we have when we sleep) but rather the connection to when this land was created, the spirits that were present then and are now....there are stories of the Wagilag sisters, Jundart, the lightening man, the Wandjina, the Rainbow serpent and many more. These Dreamtime stories are also the blue-print or law that provides the framework by which the Aboriginal people live, and again these are depicted in the paintings that have been done in the past and are still done today.
Originally Aboriginal art was done on the body for ceremony, in caves and also in the sand. Totems were carved out of wood. Objects made from stone and feathers, shells, seeds and bone were also used to make objects and decoration for ceremony and daily use.
Aboriginal art is an expression of the knowledge and the seniority of the individual, it also reveals their responsibilites and defines family and their connections to the land. Individuals inherit through their parents these rights and responsibilites, they must learn everything they can about their land, plants and animals before they become the caretakers.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
ABORIGINAL ART...spending your hard-earned money
www.makingtracks.com.au.....there is a free download Understanding Aboriginal Art on site
Lets face it we don't really need art!!!! we need food in the cupboard, a roof over our heads...the basics, but a painting is really something that we can do without if we have to.
To many a painting is a decorator piece to fit over the couch or fill a blank wall,(I don't have a problem with that)... to others it's a wonderful never ending journey. I've spent a lifetime immersed in art; working in a gallery, running my website, painting, visiting galleries and museums and seeing what others create.... but I must admit I was totally unprepared for the impact that Aboriginal art has had on me, 20 years on the enjoyment and passion hasn't changed, from fantastic works of art to a full-on learning cultural experience.
A lady phoned me the other day interested in investing her superannuation on Aboriginal art, she didn't know anything about it but was willing to invest her hard-earned income because she had read and heard that you can make a lot of money if you're prepared to spend. My advice to her in the first instance was don't spend a cent yet but spend the time in some self education. Know what you're buying and make sure that you also like it.
Of all the investors that I have known the one thing first and foremost that they have in common is passion for this particular artform....absolute passion.....then they spend a lot of time learning about specific artists, areas and backgrounds, they will usually only buy paintings they really love. Probably a lot of these people would dispute that first sentence that I wrote and put art before food!
It can become a real study ... visiting galleries and viewing works learning what prices are being realized etc etc. When there's an art auction going through the catalogue with a fine tooth comb, marking particular works of interest to follow them through. Many people will follow the painting progress of a specific artist; when they are painting their best works, recognize a great work from an average one and of course prices. But, I dont' know any investor who purchases a painting that they don't well and truly love.
In about the early 90's it was normal for a gallery to put in auction works that they couldn't sell in the gallery, now the auction houses have such a hold on the Aboriginal art market that they will visit the gallery and pick and choose what they will sell at auction. Obviously documentation is extremely important. The prices realized at auction will generally be the bench mark for a particular artist. Galleries will often put prices of artists work up after an art auction if they have gone way above what is expected, then that is what that artist's work is now worth.
If you want to learn more about Aboriginal art visit the commercial and state galleries, ask questions, read, listen, talk and educate yourself as much as possible and when you buy a work you will feel confident that it is the right purchase.
I'm going to write a little "most" days on Aboriginal art and culture, such things as what documentation to look for, how to recognize paintings from a specific area, is it art or culture, materials used in painting, a bit about the past the list goes on....please feel free to ask questions or if you want me to touch on a subject concerning Aboriginal art let me know...
Lets face it we don't really need art!!!! we need food in the cupboard, a roof over our heads...the basics, but a painting is really something that we can do without if we have to.
To many a painting is a decorator piece to fit over the couch or fill a blank wall,(I don't have a problem with that)... to others it's a wonderful never ending journey. I've spent a lifetime immersed in art; working in a gallery, running my website, painting, visiting galleries and museums and seeing what others create.... but I must admit I was totally unprepared for the impact that Aboriginal art has had on me, 20 years on the enjoyment and passion hasn't changed, from fantastic works of art to a full-on learning cultural experience.
A lady phoned me the other day interested in investing her superannuation on Aboriginal art, she didn't know anything about it but was willing to invest her hard-earned income because she had read and heard that you can make a lot of money if you're prepared to spend. My advice to her in the first instance was don't spend a cent yet but spend the time in some self education. Know what you're buying and make sure that you also like it.
Of all the investors that I have known the one thing first and foremost that they have in common is passion for this particular artform....absolute passion.....then they spend a lot of time learning about specific artists, areas and backgrounds, they will usually only buy paintings they really love. Probably a lot of these people would dispute that first sentence that I wrote and put art before food!
It can become a real study ... visiting galleries and viewing works learning what prices are being realized etc etc. When there's an art auction going through the catalogue with a fine tooth comb, marking particular works of interest to follow them through. Many people will follow the painting progress of a specific artist; when they are painting their best works, recognize a great work from an average one and of course prices. But, I dont' know any investor who purchases a painting that they don't well and truly love.
In about the early 90's it was normal for a gallery to put in auction works that they couldn't sell in the gallery, now the auction houses have such a hold on the Aboriginal art market that they will visit the gallery and pick and choose what they will sell at auction. Obviously documentation is extremely important. The prices realized at auction will generally be the bench mark for a particular artist. Galleries will often put prices of artists work up after an art auction if they have gone way above what is expected, then that is what that artist's work is now worth.
If you want to learn more about Aboriginal art visit the commercial and state galleries, ask questions, read, listen, talk and educate yourself as much as possible and when you buy a work you will feel confident that it is the right purchase.
I'm going to write a little "most" days on Aboriginal art and culture, such things as what documentation to look for, how to recognize paintings from a specific area, is it art or culture, materials used in painting, a bit about the past the list goes on....please feel free to ask questions or if you want me to touch on a subject concerning Aboriginal art let me know...
Monday, October 20, 2008
INVEST IN ABORIGINAL ART OR JUST ENJOY THE PAINTING
www.makingtracks.com.au
Tomorrow (Tuesday) I'm doing a series of articles regarding investment in Aboriginal art....if you have any comments or want any info please ask
Tomorrow (Tuesday) I'm doing a series of articles regarding investment in Aboriginal art....if you have any comments or want any info please ask
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