4.6 Oceania and Highland Asia

4.6Oceania and Highland Asia

Allison WightmanBriana Lambert

Breana Watts

Where you at?

Part ONE.Totemic Symbols & Meaning.

• There are many symbols and motifs found in this totemic blanket. The alligator is a common theme found in oceanic art. The bird that is illustrated in the form of an army helicopter symbolizes the modern day issues that this area is dealing with. As indigenous people have come into contact with modern technology their artwork has reflected new subject mater.

• Totemic: an animal or natural object which symbolizes a clan of family.

Bird/helicopterAlligator and fish

Part TWO.

• In the oceanic area people wear masks that resemble their ancestors to worship them. The masks are 3 inches to 3 feet tall and are decorated with bright colors. The brownish-red paint that is most commonly used represents blood and continued existence of the soul of the deceased.

Ancestral Figure

n.d., Sepik River, Papua, New Guineawood with colored pigmentsKNOW THIS!

Part THREE.

• Melanesian wood carvings differ from Polynesian wood sculptures in many ways. The most important difference is the fact that Polynesian objects of worship stress the grain of the wood while Melanesian carvings focus on bright colors.

^^Polynesian

^^Melanesian

Part FOUR.• There is a very unusual type of art found on

Easter Island that has become very well known around the world. Monumental stone carvings of ancestral images are made out of volcanic rock.

Part FIVE.

• Body art has become a common trend among people in the oceania and highland areas. Tattoos originated in the Marquesas with an under the skin dyeing process that took years. Bodies are covered in traditional geometric designs that are symbolic and mystical.

Part SIX.• Animals are a big part of

artwork in this area because they are very symbolic. Common animals that are painted on bark by Australian Aborigines include kangaroos, birds, fish, snakes, tortoises, and alligators.

• Artists show two views of the animals by using the x-ray effect which depict internal organs and bones.