![]() ![]() The 'dotted landscape' inspired its representation in dot patterns. The dotting style of many of the Aboriginal artists from this region was a natural evolution from their sand drawings as they translated the stories on the modern materials of paint and canvas.Ī third, which is not altogether separate from the second, is that the land itself, the subject at the heart of many Aboriginal artworks, is often completely studded with dot like stones, spinifex plants, flowers and distant trees. Of overdotting being used to obscure secret information beneath.Ī second source of the dotting style is that the educational sand drawings carried out mainly by the Central Desert peoples, were intrinsically made up of both line and gestural dot work. Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrulla 'Water Dreaming' an excellent example It's a pity in some ways, because the extra dimension in works like Galya and Johnny's is fascinating. It is now fairly much understood that the uninitiated westerner cannot understand the iconography anyway (in other than the most basic way - see our page on iconography), and so the practice of overdotting to hide what is underneath, has largely fallen away. The examples above and below, by Galya Pwerle and Johnny Warangkula are excellent examples of the technique of using overdotting to obscure the painting beneath. But the permanent quality of acrylic paints gave birth to a concern about inappropriately revealing secret information and the subsequent practice of 'overdotting' served to obscure the sacred or 'classified' information beneath. Drawing a painting in sand had previously posed no problem because it was generally smoothed away after the telling, or if left on the ground, it was done so only in their own lands, safe from prying eyes. One certain reason is that early in the Aboriginal art movement, the People were concerned that non initiates may be able to understand or learn the sacred, secret or restricted parts of their stories. Tantalisingly allows parts of the underpainting to peep through. Technique shown above in this 198 x 198cm artwork, which Galya Pwerle's painting style is often carried out in two stages:įirst the secret iconography, and then a magnificent overdotting There are several theories as to where or how dot paintings originated, and it is likely that all of them have their part to play in the works of different Aboriginal artists. Let’s have a look at a couple of examples: How did 'Dot Paintings' originate? Or they may be wild, overlapping, unstructured works where the Aboriginal Artist is highly expressionist in the execution of the work. The patterns may be extremely neat, traditional designs, some using Ochre paints and some using Acrylic. Perhaps the most proficient dot work is done by using well mixed acrylic paint with a high level of viscosity (thickness and cohesiveness) - when this dries, it forms a raised profile - from the side, this makes a curved shape on the canvas, with the centre of the dot highest and a tapering effect towards the edges.ĭots range from exceedingly fine work done with very thin sticks, to large dots of up to four centimetres in diameter. The paint used may be highly textured with a very raised surface or flat. Within the Dot painting style, Aboriginal artists may overlap or 'enclose' dots within other larger dots, or they may be closely joined to give the appearance of lines, and even dotted so densely that they create a flat coloured area - however to be a 'dot' painting, the dotting method must still be visible.Īboriginal Dot paintings are commonly executed in both Ochre paintings and Acrylics, however Acrylic paint is the more commonly used for these artworks. The defining criterion for a dot painting is the technique used - that it is produced by repeated imprints of a paint covered brush, dotting stick or other implement onto the surface of the painting and that in doing so, there are recognisable 'dot' marks on the canvas. Some artists merge their dots into lines, or even into wide areas of connecting dots which have more of a stippled effect than a 'dotted' appearance. Dot paintings vary from the finest of minute marks neatly arranged on the canvas to the wild multi-coloured large dotting of some of the desert women.
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