High Country Life

Indigenous art transcends Western art’s limited purposes by serving spiritual, practical, and communal functions. They represent a holistic understanding of life where art, spirituality and existence co-exist harmoniously.

Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York is making a substantial investment in Indigenous art history studies by joining forces with Forge Project to develop programming and curatorial studies.

Symbolism

Aboriginal symbols provide a language to express stories about their culture, history and beliefs – teaching the next generation how to survive harsh environments.

Some symbols are universal, while others can be specific to an artist and the story they’re telling. A circle that looks like a hole, cloud, or nest may have different interpretations depending on who’s viewing it; small circles could symbolize plant life such as bush melon or bush tomato leaves, animal tracks such as those left by kangaroos or goannas;

Indigenous cultures revere the land, and artists depict this connection through their art. Additionally, art serves as a means for them to connect with family and community members through art making. Many believe a painting has spiritual power when hung correctly bringing peace and harmony in its wake.

Indigenous communities do not view land as something static; rather it is known as Ngurra (country). Each artist paints an aspect of Ngurra they associate closely with – from Milly’s square painting all the way up to Patrick’s sprawling panorama of landscape.

Art is an invaluable means of transmitting cultural knowledge in Aboriginal communities that do not use written languages, as paintings provide a means of telling their stories of water holes, cooking and hunting for food, planting and harvesting cycles, ethical behavior and more – messages essential to survival in harsh environments.

Meaning

Indigenous art derives its power from its cultural relevance and function, carrying essential historical and moral messages for its community, evoking emotions and encouraging self-expression. Thus, art has long been linked with activism; artists use their craft to preserve cultures while sharing authentic narratives while supporting social justice causes through art activism.

Aboriginal culture dates back more than 60,000 years, so it should come as no surprise that much of what Aboriginal people create has deeper symbolic significance than just aesthetic appeal. Their art embodies their identities as outlined in The Dreaming; many Aboriginal artists incorporate aspects of it into their works to share it with the world through art.

Aboriginal painting reveals itself through its symbolic content: rather than depicting things as they exist now, Aboriginal paintings draw out connections between places infused with spiritual significance for ancestors and spirits alike. While Western art strives for mimetic ‘truth’ or mimicry of nature, Indigenous paintings focus on conveying vitality; vitality conveyed through earth pigments brushed directly onto canvas depicts essences of places through vibrant lines directly brushed onto its canvas surface.

Indigenous canvases do not feature random dots; each dot represents something with particular significance that non-Aboriginal viewers cannot grasp. Dreaming, or Jukurrpa, gives a work its strength; thus viewing these works solely as representations is inaccurate – especially considering that many Indigenous artists do not intend for it to be perceived as art at all.

Function

Cultural paintings play a variety of functions for Indigenous communities. They can tell stories, promote moral values and foster a deeper connection to both land and spirituality. Furthermore, cultural paintings bridge past with present by ensuring Indigenous heritage is always integrated into contemporary artistic practices.

Indigenous art often incorporates traditional techniques with modern materials and designs, blending these distinctly cultural aspects together in an innovative blend. Through this approach, Aboriginal art goes beyond conventional understandings of what defines it as “art” or “craft.”

Indigenous artwork serves an invaluable purpose: it preserves and shares knowledge. Indigenous artists use art to tell tales that educate and guide both children and adults on issues ranging from animal significance to plants’ uses – imparting important cultural lessons along the way.

Tommy Watson and Gloria Petyarre are known for depicting Dreaming stories with symbols and designs to communicate a visual language of Dreams that are grounded in an intimate knowledge of land and its spirit.

Paintings can help both children and adults appreciate the significance of traditional ways. They can teach them to respect nature and its inhabitants while at the same time protecting the environment – something which has been part of community life for generations and should be valued accordingly.

Styles

Indigenous art defies Western ideas about what defines art. Instead of viewing Indigenous creations as separate decorative entities unrelated to tribal philosophy, culture and spirituality, it would be more accurate to think of Indigenous art as visual culture.

Aboriginal art began only 50 years ago at Papunya Desert Community when Geoffrey Bardon inspired senior desert men to paint cultural stories using modern materials. This became the Papunya Tula Desert Arts Movement which allowed Aboriginal people to share their deeply held cultural knowledge with outsiders and expand upon it further.

Indigenous art serves to educate both children and adults about their land, history, culture, and how best to behave in the future. Therefore, it should be part of every classroom, not restricted to a select few classes.

Indigenous art uses symbols to depict the Dreaming or Jukurrpa of various tribal groups and cultures, telling the tale of how land was formed over generations past and present. A key aspect of this mythos is how it must remain alive to remain passed down as part of living culture.

Contemporary Australian Indigenous artists are becoming more prominent in forming their own artistic identities and participating in major art shows, especially Venice Biennale. Indigenous artists dominated many of Australia’s national pavilions at Venice Biennale; Lorraine Connelly-Northey used found metals in her weaving that depicts Waradgerie people’s traditional narrbonggalang; Karla Dickens of Kamilaroi tribe created a 6.5-foot mixed media panel composed of glass, various metals depicting hooded, silenced figures; while Jacqueline de Jong used vibrant colors to reimagining Australia outback landscape.

Influences

Indigenous artists employ an impressive variety of artistic styles that go far beyond mere aesthetics, often serving spiritual, practical and communal functions as well. Artworks often serve to communicate ideas or pass along information such as water sources or bush tucker locations. Tribal styles often differ considerably; there may also be artistic trends which identify more closely with certain communities such as Earth Images paintings which portray them hovering above their land while looking down on both natural and metaphysical features of its landscape.

Aboriginal artists such as Rover Thomas and Queenie McKenzie from East Kimberley / Warmun have had considerable success in the international art world with this style of Indigenous artwork. Other artists are well known for particular techniques – for instance Michael Pare’s “waterfall effect”, or Paddy Bedford’s ‘ghost gum motif’ being among them. No matter their artistic approach or focus area; contemporary Indigenous art has transformed significantly since Papunya’s 1971 Desert Art movement began.

Pioneers of this movement often used gouache paints consisting of black, white, yellow and red to emulate the colors found in traditional rock art and ceremonial paintings made with earth pigments such as ochre. By the 1980s however, access to modern acrylics had increased and provided them with more colors to choose from.

This expansion in materials and themes demonstrates that traditional and contemporary Indigenous art do not exist in isolation from each other, but coexist as evolving expressions of Indigenous identity and resilience. Starting in 2022, the Museum’s Indigenous Arts of North America department will continue exploring these connections through commissions and exhibitions. Please support this work by becoming a Museum Friend today – our add-on program provides our Museum Friends with free lectures related to their field of interest plus invitations to special social gatherings related to it!