Aboriginal Art: Meaning, Styles and the Dreaming
Aboriginal art is the art of Aboriginal Australians, one of the oldest continuous living cultures in the world, with a history in Australia of more than 60,000 years. It ranges from ancient rock art and ochre painting to the contemporary acrylic paintings collected around the world today. At its heart, most Aboriginal art tells a story: of Country, of the Dreaming, and of the knowledge passed down through families.
What is Aboriginal art?
Aboriginal art is a visual way of recording and sharing knowledge. For tens of thousands of years, stories were painted on rock, carved into objects, drawn in sand and painted on the body for ceremony. Many of the designs seen on canvas today come from these older forms.
Papunya and the start of the movement
Contemporary Aboriginal art began in 1971 at Papunya, a settlement around 250 kilometres west of Alice Springs. Geoffrey Bardon, a young art teacher at the Papunya school, encouraged senior men to paint their Dreamings, first as a mural on the school wall and then on boards and canvas. Within a year the men had formed Papunya Tula Artists, and the Western Desert painting movement was born.
Shorty Lungkarta Tjungurrayi, a Pintupi man from Lake Macdonald in the Gibson Desert, was one of the original Papunya painters. His granddaughter, Debra Nangala McDonald, was born at Papunya and paints with Art by Farquhar today, carrying her family's stories forward. Read more in Papunya Camp and Debra Nangala McDonald.
From Papunya the movement spread across the Central and Western Deserts and beyond, and it is now one of the most significant art movements in Australia.
Goanna Love Story, Debra Nangala McDonald, 134cm x 133cm
What is the Dreaming?
The Dreaming is the foundation of Aboriginal belief: the creation stories that explain how ancestral beings shaped the land, the animals, the people and the law. It is not only the past. It continues to guide how people live, their responsibilities to Country, and their relationships with each other.
Different language groups have their own word for it. Warlpiri people say Jukurrpa, Anangu people of the APY Lands say Tjukurpa, and Arrernte people say Altyerre. When an artist paints a Dreaming, such as the Seven Sisters, they are painting a story they have the right to tell, often tied to specific places on their Country.
Pututju, Rhoda Tjitayi, 229cm x 180cm
Who can paint which stories?
Artists paint the stories and Country they have cultural authority over, usually inherited through their family. A story belongs to particular people and places, and painting someone else's story without permission is not accepted. This is why the same Dreaming is painted by members of one family across generations, and why provenance matters so much when buying.
Some knowledge is sacred and is never shown publicly. What appears on canvas is the public version of a story, shared with permission.
What do the symbols mean?
Many desert paintings use a visual language of symbols seen from above, like a map. Meanings vary between communities and artists, but some common ones are:
- Concentric circles: waterholes, campsites, rockholes or meeting places
- U shapes: people sitting, often women gathered together
- Straight or wavy lines: travel paths, running water, or lightning
- Tracks: the footprints of animals or ancestral beings moving across Country
- Digging sticks, coolamons and shields: tools carried by women and men
Dotting is often described as a way to conceal sacred details when stories began to be painted for the public. Today it is also a defining part of each artist's style.
Regional styles of Aboriginal art
Central and Western Desert
The home of dot painting, from Papunya, Yuendumu, Kintore and surrounding communities. Works are often aerial maps of Country and Dreaming journeys. See artists such as Maureen Nampijinpa Hudson and our Central Desert artists.
Sand Dunes (Tali), Maureen Nampijinpa Hudson, 150cm x 144cm
Utopia
A region north-east of Alice Springs known for bold, layered colour and stories of bush foods, bush medicine and women's ceremony (Awelye). See Janet Golder Kngwarreye.
My Country (Utopia), Janet Golder Kngwarreye, 198cm x 93cm
APY Lands
The Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in the far north-west of South Australia, known for vivid colour and strong Tjukurpa stories. See Rhoda Tjitayi, Janice Stanley and our APY Lands artists.
Pantu (Salt Lake), Janice Stanley, 117cm x 79cm
Arnhem Land
In the Top End of the Northern Territory, artists paint with natural ochres on bark and paper, using fine cross-hatching known as rarrk.
The Kimberley
In the north of Western Australia, artists are known for natural ochre paintings with broad, earthy fields of colour.
How to buy authentic Aboriginal art
Buy original works where the artist and story are clearly identified, from a seller who can tell you how the work was sourced. Every original from Art by Farquhar comes with a Certificate of Authenticity. Read our full guide: How to Buy Authentic Aboriginal Art.
Art by Farquhar works directly with the artists wherever possible, so provenance is clear and artists are paid for their work. Many of our artists live in or regularly visit Adelaide and paint with us. You can browse our original Aboriginal paintings online or visit our Adelaide gallery.
Frequently asked questions
How old is Aboriginal art?
Aboriginal people have lived in Australia for more than 60,000 years, and rock art in Australia is tens of thousands of years old. Contemporary painting on boards and canvas began at Papunya in 1971.
Is dot painting the only style of Aboriginal art?
No. Dot painting comes mainly from the Central and Western Deserts. Other regions use ochre, cross-hatching, bold colour fields and many other techniques.
Can non-Aboriginal people buy Aboriginal art?
Yes. Buying original works from the artist or an ethical seller directly supports artists and their families, and helps keep their stories alive.
What does Country mean in Aboriginal art?
Country means the land, water and sky an artist's family is connected to, along with its stories, law and responsibilities. Many paintings are titled My Country.