Guest blogger Susan Shulman continues her tour of art sites during a recent trip to Melbourne, Australia. Part 1 here . * * * National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Visiting the National Gallery was my first exposure to the depth and beauty of Aboriginal art. I went into rooms filled with mesmerizing iconography and colours. These spaces of beauty lured me into their dreamlike worlds. The first things that I noticed were the shields, symbolizing various aspects of the power of respected ancestors. Photo: Susan Shulman. In the beginning, the indigenous people adorned themselves, their shields, and the sand around them. They painted their “Dreamings.” The arc and circle shapes, designs, and tones of all the paintings evoke excitement on a very primal level of purity of expression. The dots are said to signify the sacred ceremonies of men. There were many great paintings, but taking photos was prohibited because of the sacredness of the imagery. These...
Artist Philip Hartigan talks about art, interviews other artists, and more