Arts in New York City

On the Aboriginal art exhibit: Icons of the Desert

Oct 21st, 2009 by rnatov

Please post questions and observations/responses using the particular work that moved/struck you.

11 Responses to “On the Aboriginal art exhibit: Icons of the Desert”

Robert Colbourn says:

December 9, 2009 at 9:19 pm

I personally loved Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula’s “Water Dreaming at Kalipinypa”. I believe that this piece truly encompasses all that existed in the exhibit. One common theme for all of the works their was the intricacy involved in making them. Each piece was abstract and difficult to interpret, but that just meant that incredible amounts of thought and effort were put into making everything there. “Water Dreaming at Kalipinypa” was the epitome of intricacy. It was segregated in many different sections which were constantly subdivided into different lines and shapes of innumerable colors. This truly was artwork that one could look at for days on end and always discover something new about it: the earth-tone patches in the corners, the needle and thread on the left, and the objects placed all around are just a few of the things to be found in this work.

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john wilkerson says:

November 28, 2009 at 5:06 pm

Bravo! i appreciate the reactions to our collection. My own feeling is that one does not have to love or even like these paintings. But, it is important that they be respected, and this respect shows in your thoughtful impressions, reactions and conclusions from the exhibition.
My only other feedback is that these paintings have multiple layers of meaning, most not intended for non-indigeneous people to understand. Wanting to better understand but knowing I never will is part of their intrigue. John

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Lydia Tobia says:

November 23, 2009 at 6:26 pm

The Aboriginal art exhibit was a different side of what i would usually consider as art. What i saw was a mere use of lines and circles at most. There was a use of only certain colors. However, when looked into, it is intriguing to find out at these lines and circles are representations of people and their rituals from a rooftop perspective. The piece I found most interesting was the Tingarri Ceremony at Ilingawurngawurrnga by Shorty Lungkarta Tjungurrayi. The painting consisted of intricate patterns of overlapping circles. These circles consisted of three or four colors, which made the circles appear as lively whorls. These patterns represented parts of the dreaming events. It was mostly about the Ancestral traveling men. The men would be seen with white body decoration in concentric cricles on their stomachs and backs, which connected over their shoulders and sides. The Semi-circles represented the great amounts of novices and men applying decorations on each other’s backs. The painting itself represents the multitudes of ancestral figures and how their presence was conveyed in a powerful and compelling manner, with the effect of the concentric circles.

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Iona Hall says:

November 3, 2009 at 1:06 pm

“An Audience with the Queen” is a Work I was struck by during our viewing of the exhibition. This work is made up mainly of a white square-shaped field, or space filled with the white paint. This white square is then outlined with repeated borders along the edges of this square . The white square is interrupted with a slightly offset series of concentric circles made up of dotted lines. The composition follows the actual shape of the cut out piece of linen, making it feel more solid and strong. I thought that this and other works were interesting to view, and the story behind the works was equally interesting.

I actually ran in to the gallery dozen who gave us our tour at the Robert Frank show at the Met! NYC is so tiny..haha

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Jackie Assis says:

November 2, 2009 at 9:28 pm

One of the paintings in the exhibit that I liked was called Rainbow and Water Story. It was painted in 1972 and is one of the only three watercolor paintings in the gallery. The painting is meant to depict the rain ceremony that is performed during the season of thunderstorms. There is a red circle in the middle of the canvas which symbolizes the bonfire and two black U- shaped objects which hug the red circle. These figures represent the water men who are painted for the ceremony. There are white strokes all around the rest of the painting which are indicating the rain, and yellow lines in the upper left hand corner which represent the lightning strikes abutting the rainbow. This whole scene is specifically representative of the storms that came from the West and swept through Kalipinypa during the prehistoric creation time.

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Priya Haran says:

October 31, 2009 at 9:44 pm

The Icons of the Desert Art Exhibit was a very different experience. It changed the way I viewed Aboriginal Art. There were many things about the exhibit that confused me at first. The first was the idea that there were people out there that were completely detached from civilization that their art could be so “primitive to the eye.” Although we know that there are tribes and communities that don’t have the global exposure that we do, it was hard to fathom the exhibit. But as I explored the rest of the exhibit, I learned that they were far less “primitive to the eye” than they seemed.
The people of Papunya believe in the idea of “dreaming.” They believe that dreaming is the “ever-present cosmological realm in which the world has acquired shape and meaning, from which the conventions of the social realm have come into being and in which the powers that underlay contemporary life have been articulated.” This idea was very complicated to comprehend at first but as the theme became a reoccurring one, it was easier to understand.
My favorite painting was Water Dreaming at Kalipinypa, by Johnny Warangkula Rjupurrula. It signifies the calling of the rain by the water man. It is done through a ceremonial procedure. The uniqueness of the painting is the fact that there is not a single piece of empty space. It hold intricate patterns and very meticulously done symbols. The painting hold different shades, colors and patterns all weaved into a quilt-like piece.

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Tomer Madar says:

October 29, 2009 at 9:03 pm

My favorite painting in the exhibit was “Emu Corroboree Man” by Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri. I couldn’t really connect with any of the paintings in the exhibit. Most of the paintings were just lines and circles of different colors, and even though the tour guide was explaining what it meant, I wasn’t able to fully grasp the whole idea. However, “Emu Corroboree Man” was the only painting that actually had a man in it. It was one of the first paintings on the left wall when we went down stairs. I thought that painting was cool because he had one of his legs bent, and under him was the circle, meaning that he was dancing at the ceremony. In addition, right on top of him was the representation of a naked womans body. My interpretation of that was that the man was dancing because he had “happy thoughts,” although I’m probably wrong.

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-zohaibaqazi- says:

October 29, 2009 at 12:01 am

There were a few things I picked up on during the Aboriginal Art Exhibit. For one thing, most of the paintings presents were almost entirely made up circles, in one way or another. Also, more than just one painting had to do with kangaroos. Thirdly, there was no symmetry in the paintings; what was on one side of the painting never matched what was on the other. There were barely any straight lines and a u-shaped symbol represented people. Water also seemed to be a general theme amongst the paintings. As a side note, the guide seemed to respond to every question with a, “Good question. I don’t know.” There were two paintings I particularly enjoyed examining, the first of which was by Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, caled Emu Corroboree Man. The image exemplified the school of kaapa, during the ceremonial activity known as corroborees. What was interesting about the painting was the Emu Man in the middle. It seemed every aspect of this man was somehow presented in the painting, however subtly. His ankle was raised, implying both movement and that he was a dancer, therefore continuing with the festive theme. His body was detailed thoroughly respective to other aboriginal paintings: each of his fingertips were stressed, his body paint was minimal, he had a nose rag and white pubic hair (which I realized was depicted in more than one painting). On both sides of him lay emu flanks, lozenge shapes and footprints of birds. The other painting that stood out was Mick Namararri’s, Old Mans Dreaming, simply because of it perverted message. As the tour guide explained, the Papunya were nomadic and when a tribe-member aged too much to move on, he/she (in this case, ‘he’) was left to die in a scenic landscape, where he/she could ponder thoughts peacefully. The old man of the painting was left to ‘dream’ in such a way and his dreams incorporated sexual themes. These dreams, the thoughts of someone about to die- were recorded. I found it unique that an old man would think about vaginas and nipples positioned at a closer proximity before the ultimate journey. Alas, every thing in history has sexual references at its foundation. Relating this to our class discussions, for instance, even fairy tales have their basis on something sexual. In essence, the Icons of the Desert did indeed require a broad mindset (as Professor Natov foreshadowed) for one to enjoy and explore its artistic form.
-Zohaib A Qazi 10/29/09 CHC 1

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Samuel Nourieli says:

October 27, 2009 at 10:38 am

My favorite painting was the “Yarlga” by Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri (p 12). It initially felt overwhelming to me. It is almost like a forest, with all of the overlapping layers and the use of the earth tones, especially with the green and brown. However, after a closer observation, the objects in the painting become more visible. In my opinion, it has a greater sense of depth than most of the other paintings. It depicts the Yarlga- a white desert plant and how a group of women dreamed of collecting it. The painting elaborates on a sort of surreal, dreamlike world, especially with the abstract shapes, and the white “clouds.” It is interesting to note how the clouds tend to hide parts of the painting, such as the fire pit, again relating to the pattern of secrecy found in many of these paintings. I also enjoyed the way in which the painting is primarily composed of dots arranged in alternating shapes and colors. When I first observed this painting, I thought that the white dots were actually drops of snow.

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allen-zhu- says:

October 26, 2009 at 10:39 pm

The painting Pintupi Pakarangura by Anatjari Yauyatjarri Tjakamara portrays a water site near Sandy Blight and uses a series of concentric circles portraying many hidden images within the painting. At first glance, the painting looks like a bunch of circles. However, at a closer glance one can distinguish feathers, water tjuruigas (ceremonial objects), water ripples and caves. All of which were prominent symbols and structures in the homeland of the indigenous Australians. The feathers and water tjuruigas were used in celebration and ceremonies of worship. The concentric circles represented water, which was an important factor of survival in the desert. On the other hand, the cave represents the hidden secrets and the limits of our knowledge created by language barriers. With the right amount of shading and coloring, the painter introduces the concept of secrecy in the painting.

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Maria Regina says:

October 24, 2009 at 6:43 pm

The picture on page 7 of Water Dreaming does not do the original painting justice. I was surprised at how the different colors worked together to create a shiny sheen, that it almost looked metallic or satin. This representation of Warangkula’s country at Kalipinypa depicted this location because it was so important to him, as he shared responsibilities to bring forth water with another local man. Within the painting, I saw a variety of patterns, which did not remain constant, perhaps permitting the viewer to understand that this complexity is paralleled with the same complexity of our dreams. Water is the most important sustenance humanity needs, and this painting focused on the water as being a sacred ritual. The water, which was painted in the center as concentric circles, can be found in the center an in smaller circles bordering this central body of water. I think that the lighter colors were used effectively to remind the viewer to visualize the clear liquid (water), with its inconsistencies and shifting patterns.

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