ABORIGINAL ART

Aboriginal art has been around for many hundreds of thousands of years. Aboriginal rock carvings and paintings date back at least 30,000 years, and tell the stories of the artists who painted them. One of the most famous and oldest rock paintings is the Bradshaw paintings; legend tells the story that they were made by the birds that pecked the rocks until their beaks bled and painted the images with their tail feathers. Aborigines state that these paintings were "rubbish" and were painted before the rainbow serpent created the aboriginal race. Bark paintings are an ancient form of aboriginal painting, however many examples of this medium are no longer exist, due to natural disintegration of the bark. Many examples of bark paintings are fairly recent compared to the ancient rock paintings. In northern Australia, paintings on bark shelters in the Kimberley and Arnhem Land were used to illustrate stories which were told during the long hours of the wet season when people were confined to the shelter. Early examples of bark paintings were cut from shelters by explorers, but nowadays, bark is cut from the eucalyptus tree specifically for use as a "canvas".

Aboriginal art has undergone a resurgence in popularity since the 1970’s and Aboriginal artists have explored ways to share their values and beliefs with the wider community and tourism markets. Indigenous Australian arts are as diverse as the people that make them, many artists working with non traditional mediums, such as acrylics, photography and fabrics. The themes of their art reflect the range of experiences and issues, and many use their "canvasses" to illustrate political and social injustices, combining these with the more traditional stories, therefore, most Indigenous artists express their heritage and experiences in innovative ways which reflect Indigenous and non-Indigenous influences.

ART AND CRAFTS

In the pioneering era, craft became a practical solution to necessity rather than a form of art. Bushman learnt quickly in the harsh Australian terrain and living an isolated existence made them self sufficient. In times of hardship, bushmen had no option but to adapt and improvise and they developed a culture based on finding the simplest solutions to practical difficulties. Crafts were fashioned from whatever material was available; a beer mug made from a hollow tree trunk, hats with corks to swat away the flies, coolers made by dripping water over canvas.

SETTLER ART

By the 1830s, increasing numbers of free settlers led to an increasingly affluent society, with growing cultural needs and aspirations. Some artists began to make a living from settler commissions – for family portraits or views of their properties – or from providing drawing tuition for their children. Most colonial artists continued to paint in the European style – not only from the habits of their original training, but probably also from a homesick longing to find the familiar in an unfamiliar land.