5 Things You Should Know About Aboriginal Art

If you have a passion for art, you may have come across the term ‘aboriginal art’ at some time. This art form has been drawing increasing attention in the 21st century. The initial forms of aboriginal art in Australia were rock paintings, ground designs, and body paintings done by the country’s indigenous people. These included paintings of birds, abstract designs, animals, and mythological creatures. The indigenous artists now take inspiration from various sources starting with the traditional art of rock painting to contemporary ideas of modern society. For a better understanding of Aboriginal art, many individuals seek art lessons at reputed education centres.

The concept of Aboriginal Art

The aboriginal art ideas have their source from nature and its creatures. Moreover, the aboriginal artists have a bond with natural materials like ochre. This is a soft rock containing clay used to make one of the first paintings in the world by humans. Some natural colours have their significance in aboriginal art: white signifies spirit, red signifies land or blood, black signifies night and the aboriginal people themselves, and yellow means sun and sacred. Modern aboriginal art includes dot painting, carvings, rock painting, weaving, tree bark painting, and aerial landscapes.

5 facts about Aboriginal Art

1. Origin: The aboriginal art that we see on canvas of recent times began around 50 years ago. Aboriginal people originally drew these paintings on rocks or sand, depicting their lifestyle and history. It had a story or a song in it. However, it was in the early 1970s that a schoolteacher named Geoffrey Bardon encouraged aboriginal people to draw their stories on board and canvas.
2. Dreamtime: The most important aspect of aboriginal art is that it incorporates important ancient symbols and stories from Dreamtime. The word Dreamtime indicates the time when these indigenous people believe that the world came into existence. The time goes back to more than 50,000 years. They try to bring all those traditional elements as well as modern elements into aboriginal art.
3. Symbols: The Australian Aboriginal culture does not have a written language. It has a unique visual language of its own. Their symbols in their artworks were crucial to passing on knowledge from one generation to the other. The form of art produced by indigenous people is portrayed by symbols that have important cultural and traditional values attached to them. The Australian aboriginal people paint their stories, dance, songs, and other cultural information so the next generation can understand their history and preserve their valuable culture.
4. Hidden message: Interestingly, the dot paintings have gained immense popularity recently. This form of art carries deeper, hidden messages to disguise sacred information. The dots hide the secret symbols underneath, so the real meaning is not understood by those outside the aboriginal culture. This form of painting is known as over dotting.
5. Displayed in museums and art galleries: The indigenous Australian culture is one of the longest-existing cultures in the world. These paintings are so rich in knowledge, spiritual teachings, and cultural behaviour that it inspires the new generation to follow their example. Museums and galleries all around the world display these paintings.

Another interesting fact about these aboriginal paintings is that there is no unused space on the canvas. Patterns or dots occupy every corner of the board. The mystical stories lying in the paintings make it quite fascinating for young children to learn and appreciate this type of art. This explains why art lessons at a reputed education centre would be valuable to the students.