I read from the catalogue of the show that opened at the National Gallery of Singapore, recently, titled: First Peoples’ Art of Australia. 

 

Aboriginal art dates back 60,000 to 80,000 years and that it may be the oldest living art form.

 

One style of Aboriginal paintings is crosshatch markings on bark depicting the First Peoples’ stories of the creation of the world and their understanding of the animal anatomy painted by men folk.

 

The other style of painting is based on floral motif, done mostly by women living in the central desert region; around the area of Uluru Rock.

 

These paintings recall ‘Dreamtime' stories as told by their ancestors. In the early 1970s, women painted mostly in earth tones of ochre, yellow, red, black and brown. When acrylic paint was introduced, they broke away from earthy tones and burst forth with new vibrant acrylic colours.