Queensland Art Gallery Presscuttings Book 8 : Pressclippings, 1977-1981

Imagery alld' 0 siy}'eS::, from· a distant time' . LJNTIL the end of this month Queensland Art Gal– lery Is showing a fine collection of 52 Bark PnJntlngs from Oenpelll In Western Arnhem Land. Th Is region, where Aboriginal per~le have d we II e d fn• at leut 2 O, O oo. J.erhaps even 30.000, years, Is very rich In 1>nclent rock paint– ings. Their Imagery and styles are still living on In today's paintings, done on pieces or bark from stringybark eucalypts. Paintings from Ar– r.hem Land vary In style, and the Western part has one that Is 1•ery di!• tinctlve. The OenpelU artists of• ten paint one single large Image on black ground, and often use the X-ray 1tyle, 10-called because ... , 1 ART REVIEW by Dr. Gertrude Langer Just picked out to give some Indication ot th., 1· a r I e Ly of treal.luen~ within the boundaries .ol tradltlonally fixed •ul~ the Internal organs are depicted, u well aa the external features. Further,' although the Oen1>elll artists now de• pend on sales 1or their livelihood, they ' have maintained a high 'de– gree or Integrity as to the preservation or the tradl· tlonal legends and Im– agery, styles and tech– nique. This Is not often the case with the artl• !lets of other regions, which have become adul– terated through com• merce. The exhibition Is presented by the Austra– lian Gallery Directors Councll for the Aborigin– al Arts Board or the Aus– tralia Council. It Is ac– companied by a fine. II• lustrated catalogue, pref– aced by the Chairman of th e Aboriginal Arts Board and the Chairman or Ounbalnya Council, Oenpell~ * These men dmw atten– tion to the fact that the art of their people Is an Integral part .or their to– tal way or lire, and to the t e r r I b Ie strain under which their culture Is put today. "When you look at these paintings <states WnndJuk Marlka) most or which are about our totemtstlc ancestors and the spirits about us, you wilt realise fully why we must maintain our con– nection to our tribal lands so that we can con- tlnue to visit the sacred sites. a.nd In conducting tho ceremo,1les keep the power and strength or D re a m t I m e ancestors with us always." * I do believe that at this moment or time, many more people than was the ease, say about two decades ago, have much greater under– standtn·g of the profound bond that exists between aborlglnal people and their natural environ– ment. n would not be surprising If this deeper understanding went hand in hand with white man's reawakened con– sciousness or the natural environment. One may be certain, too, that many more people now can appre– ciate the aesthetic quail• ties of good aboriginal art. Much Insight can be go.tned from reading the texts which accompany the Items listed In the e x h I b I t ion catalogue. However, the lmagoa themselves have enough power to communlr.ate their magic force. Thus we may marvel at the simple, very bold and tough shape of a coiled rock python, firmly In– tegrated w:th Its back ground: or a Bush Tur– key with bent-bnck neck, so elegantly outlined and finely patterned: or the expressive linear mobility and rtcxlblllty of a danc– ing spirit figure. These examples I hope that , 111":llf people wltl enjoy thl, !!"': hlbltlon as much •a& ~ did. · •.·; I Just received lhlr. llaf– lelln of the 3rd Blenneel or S1dney, lo be .!>e!fl from 11 April to n.~l!• Elgl'il.y artist& from Ja countries including • J8 Aust:-nllan artists will ..be represented this yeu. ,It Is gratifying to seo -that Aboriginal arttsta'>•.froin Amhem Land WIil be•ln– cluded. * St. John'• Cafli~ Vl•ual ~rt• Committee "•• ooenrd the yoar'wltlt ea exhibition or paint• lnp b:, ,Tohn Bartee, Dean or Rockbampi.n,;• In the Dea•n·a · oir,, words, the paintings •,ue nrictly theological •!f.~· ments for the churcli. . . The diversity of aty(e., and sour c e.s of In• aptratlon are a llttlrbe• wltdertng, and the~l- ty or the works ts u e . Not all or them e the power to moves~ have the Intense, ~; presaionlsttc imagl'!l ••or St. Francis, or Cl@st Contemplating ...~e Cross. and of Saul?._>r Ta,rsus. The Dean's :.I· mtra.tton for Arthu, ..,d Is 1•lslble In these. To reach children d "the chlld-llke In he " Dean Ba)•ton somel employ• a dellber naive, folks art-llke s which comes orr charmingly In a pan nine small paintings, plcr.tng the Story qr I• vatlon. . Jt. ATURDAY, MARCH 17 ::f/9 QU~ENSLAND ART GALLERY .:ith !·Joor, MI M Building, 160 Ann S1rcct, Brisbane LION ~UGS FROM FARS . closm_g Monday 19 March 1 he Queensland Art G·tllcry I h . . fahibition c~rlicr ~h~~cpsr!v1:•otu,tl1s ndcccss.aryd to close this H s Ya vcrllsc . ours: Monday-Saturday 1Oam-5 pm Sunday 2 pm-5 pm ADMISSION FREE Op911i11g 1'hursday 22 March 1979 EMILE-ANTOINEBOURDELLE S l Cll'Pt11res andDrawings (closing 22 April) LAMBERT WAR SKETCHES (closing 26 April) '\