The Artist’s Perspective on Aboriginal Art
When first contemplating writing about Aboriginal Art, we thought about research, via the many books and studies available, and condensing a multitude of information, to present our readers with important facts re style, history, intent, content all of the above. However we paused, and came to the conclusion that what we would create has been written before.
We all know bark paintings from Northern Australia first became “fashionable and sought after” by collectors in the 1940’s how in the early 1970’s Geoffrey Bardon worked with Papunya people who he noticed were “drawing in the sand”. All these articles are available the studies of Bradshaw and many others, some who devoted their lives to this research.
The answer to our problem? Ask the Aboriginal Artists about ABORIGINAL ART. Who better to tell the world? We know over a hundred artists some have travelled widely some are famous others extremely talented but, for a variety of reasons, relatively unknown in the “WHO’S WHO OF ABORIGINAL ART”.
The story we present to our readers is a story which has not been written before in this form, and encompasses our recollections of what was told to us by Aboriginal Artists now deceased, the stories told to us by artists painting in our Gallery, and by asking “What does Aboriginal Art mean to you” as they visit us.