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In western art, the artist seeks to comment or convey his or her perceptions of the world. Aboriginal artists, however, paint what is in their heads as "Dreaming" stories that have been passed on for a thousand generations. The "Dreaming" is a mythological creation period during which spirit ancestors rose up from under the earth and traveled across the land creating people, animals, plants and the landscape.
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Under aboriginal law, each artist is only allowed to paint those Dreaming stories to which he/she is entitled by birthright and initiation. Others may be allowed to paint the same stories, effectively "under license" from the custodian or owner. By painting the stories, the artists are not only gaining income to help their community, but they are fulfilling their obligations to pass on the Dreaming stories.
Desert art is usually in planar (aerial) view, looking down on the landscape. This is because the artist is relating a story of a journey. In this way, the art often can be interpreted as a conceptual map of the artist's country.
Dreaming stories are not only important because they carry spiritual and cultural messages, but also because the help the people navigate through the harsh desert terrain, from one waterhole to another and one hunting ground to another.
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