Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Aboriginal artists today practise in one of the world's longest continuous tradition of art - and perhaps the last to be generally recognised. Widely sought after, aboriginal art has now taken its place in the collections of leading museums and galleries. This concise survey looks at the work of Australia's indigenous visual artists from all parts of the continent: from Arhem Land and the desert, the Kimberley and northern Queensland, to modern towns and cities. Building on traditions that stretch back at least 50,000 years, many of the artists have worked in a variety of contexts, from the sacred and secret realm of ceremony to more public spheres, and in media including painting, sculpture, engraving, constructions, weaving and - most recently - photography, printmaking and textile design. Beliefs embodied in the Dreaming are expressed with many layers of meaning which reflect a unique world-view.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Chapter 1 Introduction (p. 7)
• Chapter 2 Patterns of power: Arnhem Land and its surrounds (p. 21)
• Chapter 3 The art of place and journey: the desert (p. 101)
• Chapter 4 Land of the Wandjina: the Kimberley (p. 162)
• Chapter 5 Diversity: North Queensland and the Torres Strait Islands (p. 183)
• Chapter 6 Artists in the town and city (p. 194)
• Conclusion (p. 226)
• Note on Aboriginal names (p. 228)
• Acknowledgments (p. 228)
• Select Bibliography (p. 229)
• List of Illustrations (p. 231)
• Glossary (p. 236)
• Index (p. 237)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

A survey of the arts of Aboriginal Australians. Caruana, who is curator of Aboriginal Art at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, has organized this book geographically, beginning with the rich art of Arnhem Land in the north, then the interior desert of the Northern Territory and Western Australia, followed by the Kimberly area in the northwest and ending with north Queensland. The final chapter is devoted to the art currently being created in an urban environment by Aboriginal artists who participate actively in gallery shows in the larger cities. Each of the chapters traces the origins of the regional style as far back in time as possible, frequently beginning with rock art, which is more durable than other media. The majority of the late 19th- and 20th-century objects are identified by artists' name. The author writes very clearly about the meanings of the themes represented, the history of the area and the development of styles, and of the numerous influences on artists. There are 187 good quality illustrations in black and white and in color. The index is divided into sections on ancestral beings, places and regions, artists and art forms. Glossary, selected bibliography. A single large map of Australia with a smaller inset of Arnhem Land locates large cities and major Aboriginal settlements. Lower-division undergraduate through graduate. C. D. Roy; University of Iowa