Australian Aboriginal Arts
- Joyce Huang
- Mar 16, 2022
- 3 min read
A vast majority of people understand that the Indigenous people have their own form of art, but did you know that Indigenous art consists of many different types? Continue reading for a brief overview of some basic forms of Aboriginal art.
Bark Painting is one of the oldest types of Indigenous art, and consists of painting - as its name indicates - on a piece of tree bark. It is not made for long term purposes, since bark paintings were originally created for ceremonies and other such occasions. If by chance, one wishes for such art to last longer, art pieces of this type would need to be carefully preserved so that they can last for a long time. This form of Aboriginal art mostly comes from Northern Australia.
Body Paint is another common form of art within Indigenous communities in Australia. Specifically, a ceremonial tradition called awelye, practiced by women of the Anmatyerre and Alyawarr Indigenous peoples, involves body painting. Many Aboriginal art pieces also include body painting that has been transferred onto a canvas.
Rock Art records the lives of Australian Aboriginals as far back as 40,000 years ago. They are the oldest form of Australian Indigenous art. These pieces often include human figures and animals, and are drawn to tell stories or for religious reasons. The pigments used to draw these artworks come from minerals, and they are mixed with water to produce the paint. Brushes are made from hair, chewed sticks, or reeds.
Aboriginal Rock Art - X-Ray Style
Gabarnmung, Arnhem Land, Northern Australia
Ochre Paintings is, like its name, painting using ochre. Ochre is a type of pigment extracted from the earth, and has the natural colors of light yellow, brown, red, white, grey, purple, and green. In fact, western people also used ochre for acrylic and oil paintings, except instead of using animal fats and oils, they mixed vegetable oil, gum-based water, and acrylic compounds with their ochres to preserve the paints and their colors. Art pieces using ochre paintings are not lasting, similar to the bark paintings, but they can be strengthened when the ochres are mixed with an acrylic compound. Ochres are still being used by many Indigenous artists because of their soft and earthy characteristics, which is very special.
Fiber Art refers to art pieces made out of fiber. This form of art holds a major part in Australian Aboriginals’ handmade everyday items - clothes, tools for hunting, shelters, as well as objects made for ceremonial purposes. Fiber art shows how beauty can be present even in objects that are for practical uses. Fish traps are one example: while fibers are used so that the traps would be light and easy to carry, they are also very intricately made and beautifully designed.
Floor mat from Maningrida in the far north of Australia
Wood Carvings an essential skill for everyday needs, such as to make weapons, canoes, and containers. But the art pieces carved from wood are gorgeous too - for example, the artist Erlikilyika created wood carvings of animals that he used to trade with the Europeans. Wood carvings are often used to express dreams, tell stories that are important to the Aboriginals’ culture, as well as for ceremonial uses.
Textiles are painted upon too! The women are in charge of this form of art, which is drawn on important ceremonial clothes. They represent the wealth and status of the person wearing them.
Basket Weaving deserves its own separate section. They are made of twisted bark and leaves, and some are colored with minerals and plant dyes or decorated with feathers. They are used in ceremonies as well as everyday lives.
Bibliography:
“Australian Aboriginal Rock Art.” ArtyFactory.
“Awelye.” Wikipedia.
“Bark Paintings.” Kate Owen Gallery: Contemporary Aboriginal Art.
“Bark painting.” Wikipedia.
“Body Paint and Ceremonial Artifacts.” Kate Owen Gallery: Contemporary Aboriginal Art.
“Fibre Art.” Kate Owen Gallery: Contemporary Aboriginal Art.
“Fiber art.” Wikipedia.
“Indigenous Australian art.” Wikipedia.
“Ochre Paintings.” Kate Owen Gallery: Contemporary Aboriginal Art.
“Rock Art.” Kate Owen Gallery: Contemporary Aboriginal Art.
“Types of Aboriginal Art.” Kate Owen Gallery: Contemporary Aboriginal Art.
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