Aboriginal Art

Aboriginal art has survived the colonial period to become a major feature ofontemporary Australian society. This book surveys the great variety inboriginal art, from ancient rock paintings to powerful modern works incrylic on canvas. The patterns and symbols of Aboriginal art, though theyay at first appear abstract, are laden with meaning. Morphy explains theocial contexts in which art is made and its religious significance.;The bookses a contextual approach to show the interrelationships between suchiverse art forms as body painting, dance, the decoration of weapons andtensils, and painting on bark, board and canvas. The text is illustratedith outstanding examples, many published here for the first time. Today,boriginal art is seen as an expression of Aboriginal history, culture anddentity. This text explains why its international audience is growing.

Howard Morphy is Director of the Centre for Cross-Cultural Research at the Australian National University, Canberra.