White Aborigines Identity Politics in Australian Art [Paperback]

An original exploration of the influence of Aboriginality on Australian art and identity.This highly original book shows that Australian art, and the writing of its history, has since settlement been in a dialogue (although often submerged) with Aboriginal art and culture; and that this dialogue is inextricably interwoven with the struggle to find an identity in the antipodes. McLean argues that the colonising culture invested far more in indigenous aspects of the country and its inhabitants than it has been willing to admit. He considers artists and their work within their cultural context, and in light of contemporary theory.This highly original book shows that Australian art, and the writing of its history, has since settlement been in a dialogue (although often submerged) with Aboriginal art and culture; and that this dialogue is inextricably interwoven with the struggle to find an identity in the antipodes. McLean argues that the colonising culture invested far more in indigenous aspects of the country and its inhabitants than it has been willing to admit. He considers artists and their work within their cultural context, and in light of contemporary theory.This highly original book shows that Australian art, and the writing of its history, has since settlement been in a dialog (although often submerged) with Aboriginal art and culture; and that this dialog is inextricably interwoven with the struggle to find an identity in the antipodes. McLean argues that the colonizing culture invested far more in indigenous aspects of the country and its inhabitants than it has been willing to admit. He considers artists and their work within their cultural context, and in light of contemporary theory.Preface; Acknowledgements; 1. Ocean and the Antipodes; 2. Artful killings; 3. The art of settlement; 4. The bad conscience of impressionism; 5. Aboriginalism and Australian nationalism; 6. The Aboriginal renaissance; 7. Aboriginality and contemporary Australian painting; 8. Palj