| Australian Aboriginal art is the oldest living art tradition in the world, with paintings in rock shelters dating back 20,000 years. The art includes naturalistic paintings of human, plant and animal figures, as well as non-naturalistic, or "abstract" designs with concentric circles, "u" shapes, and lines. The naturalistic style, predominant in Arnhem Land in northern Australia, is often characterised by "X-ray" art, where the internal organs of animals are depicted. The abstract style, predominant in central Australia, originates from sacred designs used in ceremonies. These designs, originally for body painting, ground paintings, and carved on sacred stones and boards, are now painted on canvas. Much of Aboriginal art relates to stories of the Dreamtime. This Dreamtime is the Creation Period in Aboriginal belief, when important Ancestral Beings formed the land and created the people, plants and animals. These Ancestral Beings, often depicted in the art, may take human, animal, plant or combined forms, and taught the people their laws and ceremonies. (Courtesy Dr.David Welch) Traditional symbols are an essential part of much contemporary Aboriginal art. Aboriginal peoples have long artistic traditions within which they use conventional designs and symbols. These designs when applied to any surface, whether it is on the body of a person taking part in a ceremony or on a shield, have the power to transform the object to one with religious significance and power. Through the use of ancestrally inherited designs, artists continue their connections to country and the Dreaming. For example, body decoration using ancestral designs is an important part of many ceremonies. In central Australia inherited designs are painted onto the face and body using ochres ground to a paste with water and applied in stripes or circles. The modern paintings of the Central and Western Desert are based on these designs. Some of these symbols are:  Source: http://www.aboriginalartonline.com/culture/symbols.php
Learn more about Aboriginal Art and Australian Culture during our Culture & Adventure Program or during our summer short course Wanju Boodjah: Aboriginal Studies in Western Australia! |