1. A Trip Around the World Art Appreciation 2014 - 2015 April 2015
Australia

2. Art Appreciation - A Trip Around the World
7th Stop: AUSTRALIA
#4: Russia
Charlotte, NC
Mediterranean
Sea
#3: Mediterranean
#5: China
#6: India
#2: Africa
#1: Latin America
#7: Australia 2

3. Australian Art Aboriginal Art
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
Bradshaw Rock Paintings
Kimberly Region,
Western Australia

4. Australian Art Aboriginal Art
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
Bark Painting, c1940s-1950s
Bryyinyuwuy (possibly)
Paint on Bark
MET Museum, New York

5. Australian Art Aboriginal Art
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
Old Man’s Fighting Dreaming, 1971
Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula 
Synthetic polymer paint on composition board
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
Contemporary Aboriginal Art

6. Australian Art Colonial Art
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
Platypus, 1808
John Lewin
Watercolor & gouache drawing
State Library of New South Wales

7. Australian Art Colonial Art
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
Hawkesbury River with Figures in Boat : On the Nepean, 1881
William Charles Piguenit
Oil on canvas
National Gallery of Australia
The Flood in the Darling, 1890
William Charles Piguenit
Oil on canvas
National Gallery of Australia

8. Australian Art Colonial Art
Shearing the Rams, 1890
Tom Roberts
Oil on canvas
National 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”

9. 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

10. 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

11. Art Appreciation - A Trip Around the World
Next Stop: Charlotte
#4: Russia
Charlotte, NC
Mediterranean
Sea
#3: Mediterranean
#5: China
#6: India
#2: Africa
#1: Latin America
#7: Australia 11