Red remains one of the basic colours of all art, representing blood, land, life & fire – Aboriginal artists use both earth red ochre and modern red colours.
The colour red is one of the primary and essential colours of art for all of mankind. It traditionally represents blood and therefore life, as well as the earth and fire – the most lively aspects of existence. Red ochre was widely traded across the Australian continent from locations where the deepest red colours were found. Red ochre was used in ceremonies, in rock art and to decorate valued artefacts and ceremonial items. The four basic colours used and extracted from earth pigments were red, white, yellow and black.
Access to modern artist colours is the 20th century led indigenous artists to experiment and to add to the colour palette that they traditionally used. Many shades of red including the manufactured and intense bright reds were taken up by artists. This expansion in the use of red hues increased from the 1980s onwards. Many artists found that the colours of the desert, with its heat and light were well presented using the range of red colours available.
Major Pintupi artists like George Ward Tjungurrayi, Thomas Tjapaltjarri and Patrick Tjungurrayi use red to create the intricate Tingari patterns that represent aspects of their Dreamings, expressed as structures of ceremonial sites and songlines. Ronnie Tjampitjinpa and Jorna Newberry used red in a symbolic way in their Fire Dreaming paintings, while other desert artists like Yinarupa Gibson, Kudditji Kngwarreye, Rosemary Petyarre and Biddee Baadjo use red to give extra power to their designs. Charmaine Pwerle has used red to express the Awelye Body Paint design and Jack Dale Mengenen has used red to give strength to his Wandjina spirit designs.
