My Grandmother’s Country

“My Grandmother’s Country” by Sally Morgan is a display painting. The subject matter of this artwork is very complex. Surrounding the main image is a border of continuous waved lines. Inside the border is an image, this includes large black crow hovering over the land ad central vector here which symbolises the death of the aboriginal people and the destruction of their land. Together with this, there is visual overstatement in the size of the white man who stands aggressively on and that represent the power of physical attack from the white man. As we see there are many elements and principles used within this artwork some of these include line, shape, direction, size, variation and repetition. There are many assorted lines, which are used all over the artwork some examples are thin, thick, and straight and curved. The main directions are horizontal and vertical. There are organic and geometric shapes used throughout the work, though most of the shapes are organic. Repetition is used in many areas of the artwork, as patterning involves repetition, and patterning is a frequently used element in aboriginal artworks. He painting shapes meaning and influences responses by combining traditional aboriginal painting techniques to represent the indigenous story and a basic childish primitivism to build the colonial people and property. This structure contrast images through stylistic devices and highlights the difference between the aboriginal’s, centuries old occupation of the land with the assault of the Europeans. Really The painting My Grandmother’s Country is a specifically visual text which represents the power of the white colonial patriarchy in colonizing and changing the landscape of Northern Australia. It also constructs a highly negative image of pastoralists who not only dominated the land but also its people through extreme ethnic discrimination. Morgan’s purpose is to promote understanding of the social and historical damage of Aboriginals’ way of life and...