ART DAR

Australian Art

Australia is a continent, a country, and a collective of diverse cultures and peoples. The Australian peoples have, therefore, created a great body of various art forms over millennia, not just centuries.

Australian art is represented by Aboriginal, Colonial, Convict, Atelier, European influenced Modernism, and Contemporary arts. Notable movements within Australia include the Heidelberg School, Hermannsburg School, Western Desert, Contemporary Indigenous, High Modernism, and Post Modernism.

Australian modernism, similar to European and American modernism, was a social, political and cultural movement that was a reaction to rampant industrialisation, associated moral panic of modernity and the death and trauma of the World Wars. Australian modernism, similar to European and American modernism, was a social, political and cultural movement that was a reaction to rampant industrialisation, associated moral panic of modernity and the death and trauma of the World Wars. In art, the movement included female artists who reacted against the male-dominated art style of naturalism. It is also important to note the presence of Indigenous Australian art during this time.

Modern Australian style reflects the climate, history and geography of Australia. Embracing an indoors/outdoors lifestyle and making use of natural materials, it is a style that adopts a minimalist approach, focusing on simplicity and functionality. Postmodern art rejected the traditional values of modernism, and instead embraced experimentation with new media and art forms including intermedia, installation art, conceptual art, multimedia, performance art, and identity politics.