Art Appreciation 2014 - 2015

April 2015 Australia

A Trip Around the World

Art Appreciation - A Trip Around the World

7th Stop: AUSTRALIA

Charlotte, NC

#1: Latin America

#2: Africa

#3: MediterraneanMediterranean Sea

#4: Russia

#5: China

#6: India

#7: Australia

Australian Art

Aboriginal Art

Bradshaw Rock PaintingsKimberly Region, Western Australia

• Original inhabitants of Australia can be traced back 45,000 years and are called Aborigines

• Aboriginal culture is credited with the oldest unbroken tradition of art in the world

• Lacking a written language, the Aborigines used art and oral story to pass on their heritage; cave, rock, and bark painting are common

• Aboriginal cave and rock paintings over 28,000 years old survive in Australia and are are still being produced today

Australian Art

Aboriginal Art

Bark Painting, c1940s-1950sBryyinyuwuy (possibly)Paint on BarkMET Museum, New York

• Aboriginal culture is based on great respect for the land

• “The Dreamtime” or “The Dreaming” explains how Aborigines believe the land was created; it also explains how all natural forces (weather, plants, people) came into existence and are fundamentally connected to the land

• This bark painting likely represents a being from the Dreaming, the time when Aborigines believe the prehistoric ancestors of birds and animals walked the earth in human, or human-like, forms

Australian Art

Aboriginal Art

Old Man’s Fighting Dreaming, 1971Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula  Synthetic polymer paint on composition board National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

• Aboriginal art on canvas began only 40 years ago; international popularity has since skyrocketed

• Aboriginal Art consists of symbols used as a means of communication about rituals, food, customs and beliefs

• These works are almost always ceremonial or religious

Contemporary Aboriginal Art

Australian Art

Colonial Art

Platypus, 1808John LewinWatercolor & gouache drawingState Library of New South Wales

• The British began to settle in Australia in 1788

• Art was used to show the unique Australian plants, animals & topography to the curious back home (natural history painting)

• When paintings such as this one arrived in Europe, many believed such animals could not exist; the platypus was widely considered to be a hoax

Australian Art

Colonial Art

Hawkesbury River with Figures in Boat : On the Nepean, 1881William Charles PiguenitOil on canvasNational Gallery of Australia

The Flood in the Darling, 1890William Charles Piguenit

Oil on canvasNational Gallery of Australia

• Beginning in 1851 a gold rush brought many more Europeans to Australia

• Demand for landscape paintings to decorate homes of newly-rich settlers drove the art market

• WC Piguenit was widely considered to be the leading Australian born landscape painter of the 19th century

• He often accompanied exploration teams to get inspiration for his landscapes

Australian Art

Colonial Art Shearing the Rams, 1890Tom RobertsOil on canvasNational Gallery of Victoria

• By the 1890’s most Australians lived in cities; pictures such as this one were popular as they reminisced about the recent past and time spend conquering the land

• This is one of the most well-known and loved paintings in Australia; it has been described as a "masterpiece of Australian impressionism”

Australian Art

Architecture – Sydney Opera House

• Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, winner of an international design competition in 1957

• Expressionist style of architecture – architect desires to express emotion in the design; often using freeform curves and faceted planes

• Utzon resigned as architect during construction due to political pressure; the building was completed 10 years behind schedule and 14 times over budget

• Utzon received the Pritzker Architecture Prize, architecture's highest honor, in 2003 for his Sydney Opera House design

Australian Art

Architecture – Sydney Opera House

Preliminary sketch by Jørn Utzon, 1960

The “shells” on the roof are often used as giant projector

screens

The building has 1000 rooms; each of its 15,500 light bulbs is changed

annually

Art Appreciation - A Trip Around the World

Next Stop: Charlotte

Charlotte, NC

#1: Latin America

#2: Africa

#3: MediterraneanMediterranean Sea

#4: Russia

#5: China

#6: India

#7: Australia