Village Squire, 1974-06, Page 63The artist is son of Birrikitji, custodian of
ritual and ceremony ofr Yiritja moiety,
Yirrkala.
Aboriginal art
display at Rothmans
Gallery.
On June 4, the exhibition "Art of
Aboriginal Australia", had its premiere
opening at the Rothmans Art Gallery of
Stratford, 54 Romeo Street, Stratford,
Ontario. The exhibition consits of work which
has its roots in a heritage 30,000 years old
the works are a mature product of a long
tradition, and its very simplicity is often
deceptive. t is much more sophisticated than
it seems. At its best, in some of the northern
cave or bark paintings, for instance, there can
be no doubt that we are in the presence of
great art, having a vitality and a beauty of its
own.
Because the artist draws a canvas
according to certain convictions, he does. not
try to capture or reproduce an exact replica of
the real or natural situation. The natural
world is all about him, and it would be
pointless to attempt to encapsulate it on a
sheet of bark, on a rock surface, or in a lump
of wood. He aims at something different. The
form, of course, needs to correspond to the
original, in either, a naturalistic or stylized
way, but it is the essence of the thing which
really interests him, and which he strives to
set down.
Significantly, the Aboriginals have no
separate words which can be translated as
"art", or as "artist", although there are
words for painting carving and incising.
There is no need to separate this form of
activity, which we call art, from other forms,
and to give it a special name. They take for
granted the beauty of the world around them,
of which they are part, and what they produce
is "ssentially in harmony with their
surroundings.
For a people limited in their ability to
communicate deeply in English, and who in
some instances have been in contact with
white civilization for less than ten years, this
art is a profound from of communication and a
channel of insight into a culture thousands of
years old. We should take notice.
Through the generosity of the Australian
Prime Minister's Department, many of the
pieces displayed here will remain in this
country. They have been donated to Canada
and will, when the tour is completed, find a
permanent home in selected public museums
and art galleriev
This exhibition is circulated by Rothmans
of Pall Mall Canada Limited in its continuing
programme of support to the Arts. This is the
eleventh international exhibition offered by
Rothmans and, after its stay in Stratford, the
exhibition w'll tour the major centres of
Canada. Rothmans has designed and
produced a handsome catalogue for thi ,
exhibition and all proceeds from the sale of
the catalogues go to the galleries exhibiting
this collection.
Call us for your
summer dress-
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See our Dutch
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29 East St. 524-60,2
Goderich
FOR ALL YOUR
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ART'S
LANDSCAPING
Nursery and Garden Centre
Open 7 Days a Week
Monday thru Saturday
till dark,
Sunday 12 to 6.
Seeding
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and Shrubs
Everything for your lawn
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524-9216
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VILLAGE SQUIRE/JUNE 1974, 25