Arts of Australia and the Pacific Islands. Jean M. Borgatti

Transcription

1 Arts of Australia and the Pacific Islands Jean M. Borgatti

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3 Pacific Arts include carving, weaving, painting Polynesia. Maori. NZ. Detail of an interior support figure. Wood. Carver: Raharuhi Rukupo. C.1842 Australia. Arnhemland. Basket. H in. Fibre, pigment. c.1900 Melanesia. Lake Sentani. Papua Prov. PNG Roof Panel (detail). Wood, pigment. H.41 in. Pre-1924.

4 Dance and music Australia. Aboriginal dancers and musician.

5 And such ephemera as body decoration, sand sculpture, the cultivation of yams and the giving of a gift Art=culturally significant ideas skillfully encoded in a sensuous medium Australia. Aboriginal Ground Painting. Ipolera Community. Northern Territory. Melanesia. Highland New Guinea. Body Decoration.

6 There is a range of environments Australian Desert Marquesas Islands (Polynesia)

7 And a range of physical types Melanesians (New Guinea) Polynesian Man (Fiji)

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9 Rock markings, Koonalda Cave Nullabor Plain, 25,000-20,000 BP Hand Stencil, Kakadu, 20-9,000 BP Art has a deep history in this area Dynamic figures characterize the rock art from about 10,000 BP. Fighting Scene, Rock Painting Kakadu National Park, Arnhem Land

10 Melanesia and Polynesia. Lapita Complex Face Design (c BP) Melanesia. New Guinea: Ambum Stone Prehistoric period (c.8000 BP). Western Highlands Province, PNG

11 Cultural Zone: Melanesia (The Black Islands)

12 Cultural Zone: Micronesia (The Small Islands)

13 Cultural Zone: Polynesia (The Many Islands)

14 Cultural Zone: Australia (The Southern Island)

15 Map from D Alleva

16 Melanesia: Ephemeral Arts Melanesia. PNG: Highlands, Mt. Hagen area. Sing-Sing Photograph: Jean M. Borgatti

17 Polynesia: Things that last & fine work, finish & polish Marquesas Islands. Club. Wood. 18 th -19 th c. Polynesia. Easter Island (Rapanui) Basalt Statues AD

18 Micronesia: Elegant simplicity Micronesia. Nukuoro, Caroline Islands Female Figures Goddess Ko Kawe Wood H. 7 H. 40.2cm H. 35 cm.

19 Textiles: A valued art and a valued commodity Polynesia. Fiji. Tui Nadrau (chief) dressed in 180 meters of barkcloth for ceremonial presentation Melanesia. Oro Province (NE coast New Guinea). Tapa made for sale 1980.

20 Gender Roles Melanesia. PNG:Highlands (Wahgi Valley) Women with netbags, their Primary artistic endeavor Melanesia. PNG:Abelam Long Yams cultivated by men in Special gardens and decorated For display prior to exchange ceremony

21 Pacific Arts and the West: The Collections of Captain Cook Pacific Voyages: , ,

22 Pacific Arts and the West: Artists travels Gauguin: There is the Marae (Tiki) 1892 Polynesia. Marquesas Islands: Stone Tiki

23 Pacific Arts and the West >Trade expositions and newly formed Ethnographic collections brought works to European and American urban centers. Paris 1889 World s Fair. Melanesia. New Caldedonian exhibition. Oceanic Display (detail), Trocadero Museum, Paris, 1895

24 Pacific Arts and the West:Artists collected these works and took inspiration from them, both directly as in this and the next example L. Picasso in his studio Note New Caledonian (Melanesia) figures behind him. M. Detail: New Caldedonian roof finial figure from Picasso s collection R. Picasso. Portrait of Henry Kahnweiler (detail) 1910.

25 Melanesia. PNG. East Sepik: Alamblak. Karawari River. Yipwon Figure Wood. H. 7 ft. (formerly Collection Matta) Henry Moore Three Points Bronze L. 7.5 in.

26 And indirectly, exploiting a comparable simplification of form And sign quality found in many non-western works Paul Klee. Intentions Colored paste and Newsprint on canvasl L.44 in. Melanesia. Asmat (IrianJaya) Shield. Wood. Paint. H. 55 in.

27 Or by misinterpretation reading into the forms a Western meaning Melanesia. Papuan Gulf (Wapo Creek) PNG. Painted wood and shell. H in. Jean Dubuffet. The Reveler Oil on Black Acrylic base. H. 76 in.

28 One fundamental misinterpretation was the denial of cultural exchange and the ability of the cultures (or their artists) to accommodate change COMPARE Belau (Micronesia). Dilukai, represented on a men s house (bai). Wood. Pigment. H.24 in. Melanesia. PNG. Oscar Towa. A Girl Rings her Boyfriend Gouache on paper. 25x20 in.

29 Cannibal Tours a film by Dennis O Rourke A film that raises issues of racism, cultural exchange, interpretation/misinterpretation, Colonial and post-colonial discourse(s), and globalism

30 Charlie Numbulmoore. (Australia. Kimberly Region). Wandjina Painting

31 Polynesia. Hawaii. Feather Cloaks and Mask. Pre 1778.

32 Micronesia. Marshall Islands. Navigation Chart. Palm leaf midrib and cowrie shells. Early 20 th C.

33 Island Melanesia. New Britain (PNG): Baining. Night Mask. Bark cloth, cane, pigments. H. 28 in. L.19 th or early 20 th c.

34 Melanesia. Lake Sentani. IrianJaya. Loin Cloth. Tapa. Pigment. Early 20 th c.

35 Polynesia. Cook Islands. Grace Ngaputa. Quilt with Christmas Liliy Pattern. 20 th c.

36 Polynesia: Maori carving and tatoo.

37 Australia Western Desert Region. Ronnie Tjampitjinpa. Untitled. Polymer paint on canvas. 183x244cm

38 Australia. Western Desert. Darby Jampijinpa Ross. Emu Dreaming

39 Island Melanesia. New Ireland. Mask. Wood. Paint. Fiber. H. 24 cm. Pre 1875.

40 Marquesas Island dancers. Marquesan dancers filmed at the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, 2005.

41 Research Paper/Project. Research paper will be on a traditional object see Guidelines linked to syllabus 3 possible objects from MFA, Peabody-Harvard or other museum by Jan.21 Final object choice with preliminary biblio 3-5 sources by Jan.27 Annotated Bibliography by Feb.21 Minimum 10 sources, no more than half from the Web First Draft by March 27 Powerpoint illustrations by March 27 Revised Draft by April 30 Comparison selection by Feb. 21/ Slide on or before April 17 Using your object and the understanding you have gained from researching it, and taking advantage of the many books in our libraries and the world wide web you will find a contemporary work, possibly from the same culture but not necessarily, that you would like to hang in association with your object to provoke thought. You will hang the two together in a powerpoint slide. (You will have to justify your choice). Museum Intervention Powerpoint slide due by April 17 Using that same object, you will create a virtual museum intervention, again to provoke thought about your object but also the objects around it.

42 Melanesia. Abelam people. Papua New Guinea. Yam mask with a bird-like face. Wicker and paint. H. 48 cm. Yam display with mask.

43 Long yams displayed prior to being given to mens exchange partners. Topics: Gender roles, Big Men or leaders, Systems of Exchange, Ceremonial cycles of the Abelam long yam cult vs. spirit cult Long yam growing in magic gardens.

44 Topics: masking, bird symbolism, carving, body decoration The main axis of Abelam culture is along a line that equates man-long yams-spiritual force and that this equation occurs only through art. Visual transformations communicate these ideas. Yams are anthropomorphized -- made human -- by being decorated with masks and paint. Spirits are given human form through carving. Men themselves become spirits through wearing masks or evocative paint. 44

45 Map and Environment: Abelam village showing men s House where ceremonial takes place including the display of yams in the courtyard. Topics: Economic & Social Life. 45

46 Comparison celebrates earth tones, concentricity and movement Australia. Western Desert. Mick Namarari Tjapaltjarri. Bandicoot Dreaming. Acrylic on canvas

47 An Abelam Yam mask has been added to a Greek vase, as it is added to a long yam to celebrate the value of the vase and to suggest its transformation into divine object at least from the museum perspective In a somewhat more ironic vein, I am also juxtaposing classical and modern western and primitive to make my audience think about the presence of art in all cultures and the rather stormy history of the relationship between Western and non- Western art, between Western and non- Western cultures.

48 Cannibal Tours a film by Dennis O Rourke