Regional styles

I feel really interested with the lecture of this week. These are idea about regional styles that I figure out from this week.

This map shows places where Aboriginal artists work actively. There are various tradition styles that are used by artists to create their art-works in different regions in Australia.These styles include "bark paintings and wooden sculptures with intricate cross-hatched designs, delicate engravings on pearl shell in the West Kimberley, symbol-based sand and body designs of the Central and Western Desert, engraved rock in Tasmania and rock art in Cape York and central Queensland"(Aboriginal Art Online 2004). Through the map, we can see that there are a large number of Aboriginal artists works at different urban centers then spread to other regions across the country.

The Desert:


Central and Western Deserts are the most important areas of the Australia Indigenous Art. The typical Indigenous style of aboriginal artists as well as craftspeople who live in this area is the acrylic paintings which is based on the body painting designs."Circles may indicate waterholes, a campsite or fire; lines may denote lightning, watercourses or ancestral paths; a U-shape usually indicates a sitting place or breasts; arcs may be boomerangs; short lines may be digging sticks or spears. Realistic animal tracks and footprints are also often included,the dots which in various forms have become the most characteristic element of desert art, represent many things – stars, sparks, burnt ground, clouds"( Bouddi Gallery 2007)

Western Desert, Acrylic on canvas, wide pallet, dots & circles

The Kimberley:


The typical Indigenous art styles of contemporary artists in this region are using of flat areas of thick ochre, silhouette forms and marking of outlines with white or pale ochre dots.There are still some artists who maintain the Kimberley traditional painting style which is known as painting images on bark and other materials.

Natural pigments, blocks of colour, restricted pallet, shapes outlined with white dots

Arnhem Land :


The specific Indigenous art style of artists in this regions is cross hatching.While this hatching is known as the rank In the west, it is called Miny'tji and Dhuland in the east.This style is used for many different functions, in particular for ceremonial body design.

Cross hatching or Rark, natural pigments on bark, restricted pallet 

Sources:


Aboriginal Art Online 2004, Regions and Communities, viewed 6 August 2012,<http://www.aboriginalartonline.com/regions/regions.php>

Bouddi Gallery 2007,Central & Western Desert, viewed 6 August 2012,<http://www.bouddigallery.com.au/art-gallery/central-western-desert/>

Image sources:


Collins, A.( 2012, 7 August).REGIONAL STYLES.(PowerPoint slide).Presented at CWE/H2-16 lecture at University of South Australia.


<http://learn.unisa.edu.au/course/view.php?id=89225>