I have been drawn toward art all my life, however I do not believe that I am more right brained than left brained; I believe that a brain is just a brain. I am especially drawn toward abstract art, art that deals with zero space and perception. But today an exhibit of Aboriginal Australian art at the Fowler Museum of Cultural History took me by surprise. The exhibit was of traditional Aboriginal ceremonial designs transferred to masonite by members of the Papunya settlement. I was quite fascinated by the Aboriginals’ ability to convey extremely complex ideas through simplicity. Using only a few simple shapes and lines and simple toned colors, the Aboriginals were able to construct intricate designs with incredible meaning. They conveyed their view of the world and its creation through their art in epic tales, religious symbols, and even cartography. One of the paintings, when seen from our naked consumerist eyes, appeared to be a giant circle with two “U”s around it. But when looked upon with a more accepting eye, it was a map of how to get to the nearest watering hole.
The Aboriginal artists used art not only to express their views of the external world but to express their views on the world internal through abstract. What we saw were giant formations of dots, that were supposedly sacred, on huge masonite boards. When seen from straight ahead, the paintings appeared to be moving and breathing and living. These unusually simple and beautiful works of art had the same effect on me as say…the Last Judgment by Michelangelo; an extremely ornate mural of a completely different context. Today’s exhibit defiantly opened my eyes to a whole new world of art and expression. I learned that it is possible that through simplicity, one can achieve the complex. Less is more!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy-2vTs1q5I
http://www.artreview.com.au/art/artandabout/contemporary-australian-aboriginal-artists-dazzle.aspx
http://www.dreamtimeaboriginalart.com/