Australian Aboriginal Dot Art
ABORIGINAL ART THE DOT MYTH
Jabit
June 2012
Contents
ABORIGINAL ART – THE DOT MYTH 3 Explain how the above has evolved and where dot art has come from 3 Aboriginal Art: Traditional to Contemporary 4 Research 5 When 5 Where 5 Who 6 Why the modern aboriginal “dot art” movement started? 6 Geoffrey Bardon 6 The Honey Ant Mural, July 1971 7 Pintupi people from the Western Desert 7 Diversity within “dot art” - showing two different artists works. 8 Uta Uta Tjangala - Traditional Artist 8 Uta Uta Tjangala Paintings 10 Tjungkaya Napaltjarri known as Linda Syddick - Traditional Artist or Contemporary 12 Linda Syddick’s Paintings 13 Different indigenous art styles throughout Australia and examples 14 Dot Painting 14 X-ray Style 14 Rock Art 15 Bark Paintings 16 Explore the difference between: art for tourist, art for galleries, art for traditional reasons 17 References 19
ABORIGINAL ART – THE DOT MYTH
Aboriginal art has been overshadowed by the idea that it is primarily presented in dots. It has got to the point where people believe that certain Aboriginal people own the dot and artists both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal are hesitant to use consecutive dots within artwork.
Explain how the above has evolved and where dot art has come from
Dot paintings today are recognised globally as unique and integral to Australian Aboriginal art. On the surface the dot is simply a style of Aboriginal painting, like the use of cross-hatching or stencil art. Exploring deeper into the history of the Aboriginal dot painting a world of camouflage, secrecy and ritual is discovered.
The term ‘dot painting’ stems from what the Western eye sees when faced with contemporary Aboriginal acrylic paintings. This painting style arose from the Papunya art movement in the 1970s. Papunya Tula artists used a process which originally mirrored traditional spiritual ceremonies. In such rituals the soil would be cleared and smoothed over as a canvas
Jabit
June 2012
Contents
ABORIGINAL ART – THE DOT MYTH 3 Explain how the above has evolved and where dot art has come from 3 Aboriginal Art: Traditional to Contemporary 4 Research 5 When 5 Where 5 Who 6 Why the modern aboriginal “dot art” movement started? 6 Geoffrey Bardon 6 The Honey Ant Mural, July 1971 7 Pintupi people from the Western Desert 7 Diversity within “dot art” - showing two different artists works. 8 Uta Uta Tjangala - Traditional Artist 8 Uta Uta Tjangala Paintings 10 Tjungkaya Napaltjarri known as Linda Syddick - Traditional Artist or Contemporary 12 Linda Syddick’s Paintings 13 Different indigenous art styles throughout Australia and examples 14 Dot Painting 14 X-ray Style 14 Rock Art 15 Bark Paintings 16 Explore the difference between: art for tourist, art for galleries, art for traditional reasons 17 References 19
ABORIGINAL ART – THE DOT MYTH
Aboriginal art has been overshadowed by the idea that it is primarily presented in dots. It has got to the point where people believe that certain Aboriginal people own the dot and artists both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal are hesitant to use consecutive dots within artwork.
Explain how the above has evolved and where dot art has come from
Dot paintings today are recognised globally as unique and integral to Australian Aboriginal art. On the surface the dot is simply a style of Aboriginal painting, like the use of cross-hatching or stencil art. Exploring deeper into the history of the Aboriginal dot painting a world of camouflage, secrecy and ritual is discovered.
The term ‘dot painting’ stems from what the Western eye sees when faced with contemporary Aboriginal acrylic paintings. This painting style arose from the Papunya art movement in the 1970s. Papunya Tula artists used a process which originally mirrored traditional spiritual ceremonies. In such rituals the soil would be cleared and smoothed over as a canvas
References: Aboriginal Art Tourism - http://www.aboriginalartonline.com/methods/methods.php Anderson C., and Dussart F., 1988 Bardon, G. 2004. Papunya: A Place Made After the Story: The Beginnings of Western Desert Painting Movement. Victoria. Melbourne University Publishing. Kimber, R.G. 1993. Central, Western, Southern and Northern Desert in Aratjara, Art of the first Australians. Germany. Köln DuMont. Perkins, H & Fink, H