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What A Load Of ...
“…do we know if white art is always done by one person?…”
I think Ms Albright is very sarcastic about Alice Springs. I have visited the Alice several times now and have bought lots of Aboriginal artifacts that were really made by Aboriginal artists. I was assured of that by the shop staff. They should know what they’re talking about.
I saw some Aboriginal people selling their own art work in the streets. Some were a bit drunk, I admit, but it’s a very thirsty place to live. It is a desert, you know, and they have to drink something.
Anyway, how do we know if white art is always done by one person? It could be done by several artists for all we know. Some of the great master painters of history used to get their paintings partly done by apprentices and they just added the final touches. These works carried the signature of the famous artist, not the trainees. So what’s the difference if Albert Namatjira did something similar?
If people want to call themselves artists, that’s ok. That’s how they think of themselves even if they don’t have much talent. Some people call themselves philosophers. What’s a philosopher? Is there a diploma for that? Others call themselves historians. What’s an historian? Usually it’s just some person who is interested in local historical matters. They don’t have a university degree for it.
I call myself a photographer. I didn’t study it in schools or colleges. I’m just interested in it and am self-taught. Does that make me less of a photographer than someone who studies every tiny technical detail and owns cameras worth thousands of dollars?
So, Ms Albright, stick that in your pipe and smoke it.
- S. McKenzie.
