Appreciating “Traditional” Aboriginal Painting Aesthetically

Abstract

The changed status of indigenous art, from artiaesthetically.! There may be situations in which fact to fine art, has not been accompanied by a to focus primarily on aesthetic features of depth of critical appreciation. Because relaan object, that is, to focus on object rather tionship of Western audiences to primitive art than its significance might be to miss its point, is intrinsically linked to history of colonialor to trivialize it. Jerrold Levinson has comism, current relationship of this audience to mented: Aesthetic appreciation of art... always work of indigenous people is framed by acknowledges vehicle of work as essenpostcolonial politics. The standards by which tial, and never focuses merely on detachable these artworks are to be judged are meanings or effects.2 What is seen as most negotiation. In Australia, there are two domvaluable in art is object, and not its detachinant critical responses to traditional Australian able meaning. Because of this focus on Aboriginal paintings on canvas. One is to treat vehicle, appreciation and display of Aborithe paintings as if they are in tradition of ginal artifacts as aesthetic objects may be modernism, as a variety of abstract art. The culturally insensitive. For instance, a religious alternative response seeks to appreciate art object that would have a restricted audience in through Aboriginal values and meanings of an Aboriginal culture may be on full public paintings. The first response is generally view because of its beauty. Sonia Smallacombe considered empirically and politically dubious. has observed that the cultural significance of The second offers a stronger empirical base for cultural products and their connections with evaluation, but is more concerned with appreciliving communities from where they originate ating culture than individual paintings. Neither have little or no relevance to museum staff or provides a satisfactory way of approaching people who visit them.3 We need not think traditional Aboriginal painting if we want to that aesthetic value is ultimate value, or appreciate it aesthetically. I argue that ontoonly relevant value in relation to an object. logical structure of traditional Aboriginal paintHowever, most contemporary Aboriginal ings provides a way of building an approach to paintings have been produced for arts maraesthetic appreciation that is sensitive to Aboket. Because they are produced as art, and to be riginal modes of production, without substitutappreciated in public, collection, dising aesthetic values for other kinds of value. play, and appreciation of these paintings is not subject to same ethical problems as other cultural products. Even so, location of I. THE POLITICS AND PROBLEMS OF APPRECIATION these paintings in fine arts institutions has enormous political significance. The arts-culture I want to leave aside, to extent that it is possystem is an institution that has been used sible, question of whether, or under what by anthropologists and Aboriginal people to conditions, we should appreciate Aboriginal art assert cultural equality, as well as to educate