Literature in our Collection
(M-Z)

Morphy, Howard und Smith Boles, Margo (Hg.): Art from the Land. Dialogues with the Kluge-Ruhe Collection of Australian Aboriginal Art, University of Virginia 1999, Charlottesville VA, ISBN 0957713509

Table of Contents        ¦         Cover Text        ¦         Book Review

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments -iii-

Margo Smith Boles: Introduction: The Kluge-Ruhe Collection of Australian Aboriginal art -1-

Arnhem Land

Setting the scene -25-

Luke Taylor: Flesh, bone, and spirit: Western Arnhem Land bark painting -27-

Howard Morphy: Life through art: Religion and society in eastern Arnhem Land -57-

Djon Mundine: The land is full of signs: Central north east

Arnhem Land art -85-

Wally Caruana: Wägilak and Djang'kawu: Ancestral paintings in the public domain -121-

The Desert

Setting the scene -159-

Christine Watson: Touching the land: Towards an aesthetic of Balgo contemporary painting -163-

Francoise Dussart: What an acrylic can mean: The meta-ritualistic resonances of a central desert painting -193-

Fred Myers: Aesthetics and practice: A local art history of Pintupi painting -219-

Notes on the contributors -261-

Notes on copyright -262-

Index -263-

Book Review

The Kluge-Ruhe Collection, now bequested to the University of Virginia, (www.kluge-ruhe.org) contains over 1500 artworks, artefacts and copious documentation, the latter mainly from Professor Edward L. Ruhe who was fascinated by the art of peoples in Arnhemland. John W. Kluge combined those interests with passion for collecting also from the Western Desert region, mainly Papunya. The book explains the extent of the collection, and how it was accumulated, but is designed not to be a dry catalogue of objects. Instead, over half the book is a series of articles with illustrations from the collection, written by experts familiar with the artists and the histories. Like the illustrations chosen for the book, the articles offer highlights but do not pretend to be representative or comprehensive. The standard of writing and photography is very high, but unfortunately there is only a four-page index and no list of images (although each image is carefully captioned).

Djon Mundine writes of the art of the Yolngu, from his period as art manager at Milingimbi, beginning in 1979, including much detail about the conception and execution of a large commission of over twenty bark paintings from each of the major clans in the area. Mundine explains how the work started slowly, but a number of bold imposing works inspired the artists at the centre to go far beyond the formats and themes which the tourist trade had so far supported.

Wally Caruana describes some of the early debates amongst artists and communities about showing sacred art to Balanda (whites). He begins with a quote from Gawirriny Gumana a senior artist at an important meeting with National Gallery of Australia representatives in 1997: "If we do not show Balanda our art, they will think we have no culture." The matter under negotiation was a planned exhibition "The Painters of the Wagilag Sisters Story 1937-1997", encompassing four generations of painters, focusing on that one theme (of the many they had exhibited). Wally Caruana describes in detail many of the issues that had to be resolved (for example, the clan elders wanted the works to be hung in groups according to the clans or ownership rights for the designs, not on the basis of what the museum found more aesthetic), and then describes in detail the Wagilag Sisters story. About a dozen images from the collection are used to illustrate this. The discussion then extends to other areas and e.g. the Djang'kawu paintings.

Christine Watson introduces works from Wirrimanu (Balgo) by a long essay on the importance of touch, the use of the skin as a canvas, sand paintings and ceremonies, all based on her several years field work with the lady artists at the centre.

Françoise Dussart contributed a long essay about the creation of a single huge 280 cm by 680 cm commissioned work "Karrku", created by 35 of local artists and referencing (at least) five segments of Jukurrpa with a relationship to the ochre mine at the top of Karrku (a small mountain, photo on page 209). The aesthetics of the work were not considered, however many insights into the overlapping Jukurrpa, the rights of the different custodonians, the negotiations amongst the different traditional owners, the importance of visiting the site prior to designing the painting, the many and stressful discussions to avoid including sacred or "powerful" material into the work, the hopes of increased prestige of some artists, the maneuvering towards agreeing to (later) ceremonies to reaffirm ownership and care for land, the balance of male/female rights in the activities, all provide a rich background information. Imagine admiring a tropical island from a boat, then being taken in a submarine to explore the vulcano on which it stands, the deep sea trenches nearby, the many sea creatures and the currents in which they swim ... all previously unknown to you.

Fred Myers attempts a new analysis of the developing aesthetics and changes in graphical elements and balance over their lifetimes for two important Pintupi painters: Yanyatjarri Tjakamarra and Uta Uta Tjangala. By explaining some details of a number of their Tjukurrpa, and analysing the graphics used to represent them - which varies over time, but can be recognized - Fred Myers links their artistic development and personal biographies to the Tjukurrpa which gave a focus to the paintings.