Movie Bradshaw innovation creativity
Bradshaw or Gwon Gwon Rock and Cave Art of the Kimberley.
The Bradshaws are not just a very beautiful form of rock art, but actually represent, using a stylised human form, an early form of rock artwork very similar to that of the East Africans and Egyptians. The style of the painting suggests a high degree of fine motor skill and artistic appreciation of line and form. This is not generally found in the more repetitive and symbolic representations that have been daubed on rock since. The figures are very reminiscent of the nomadic tribes that still occupy Africa and have in the past wandered through Asia before returning to Africa. the Zulu, the Maasi, The Rendilli to name but a few of the linked Nomads. There are theories that the original artists may have been blown in having travelled in raft like ships across the Indian Ocean. The Baob trees in East Africa may have supplied their main travelling diet hence the predominance of one species only of Boab in The North West.
The study of the pre-history of man is an extremely sensitive issue with far reaching political consequences for today, both in Australia and worldwide. The British who have dominated the study of archaeology and anthropology worldwide for the last several centuries, including that of our continent, maintain that man descended from the apes, and that this alleged descent happened “yesterday”, in the scale of pre-history — that man had no speech before about 40,000 BP, was incapable of hunting animals before that time, had no maritime capability etc. Walsh on the other hand, has demonstrated that the people who painted the Bradshaw figures had a maritime culture, which arrived in Australia fully formed, with a very high degree of sophistication, perhaps as early as 40,000 BP, and possibly even earlier. This blows a giant hole in the normal British accounts of pre-history, and most importantly, in what the British have been trying to claim about mankind: that man is just another form of ape.
The question I have to ask every time I examine this art work is why, unlike other forms of rock art, would they represent women enjoying themselves? (Dancing with the men and children) In our culture it seems to me that this only happened when our civilisation achieved a point where they were equal and less encumbered by so called “female” duties. I ask the question, just based on the content of the images as well as the artistic level of composition, are we seeing the work of a civilisation that is equal to our in the way it treated its women? If so why did it die out?
The Bradshaw peoples were obviously so advanced that they had time to spend in pursuits other than survival mode. What is more to the point is why did they die out. There are apparently over a million images out there…thats a lot of people over a lot of time with lots of opportunity to create high levels of art forms.
As to where di we come from take any theory from the thousands out there then just find ways of proving or disproving them.
Robin Hutton
“BRADSHAW ART and later
Because of the unique geological and climatological conditions which existed there tens of thousands of years ago, the Kimberley are the oldest known repository of rock art in the world. The art in itself indicates that a people have been in the Kimberley, for the last 50,000 years. It is difficult to link the more recent rock art with the highly sophisticated Bradshaw work. (the present day Aboriginals themselves refer to the Bradshaw paintings as “rubbish paintings: before our time”), but it opens up extraordinary avenues of research on the pre-history of mankind going back at least 40,000 BP, and perhaps to 100,000 BP. or even earlier.
The famous Lascaux cave paintings of France, by contrast, are only 17,000 BP while the excellent epigraphic work by Barry Fell and his colleagues which goes back only to around 4,000 BP. (i.e. 2,000 BC)”
Text from Grahame Walsh’s description of Bradshaw works
Gwion Gwion (Bradshaw) Figures web link
Movie Bradshaw innovation creativity
Bradshaw or Gwon Gwon Rock and Cave Art of the Kimberley.
The Bradshaws are not just a very beautiful form of rock art, but actually represent, using a stylised human form, an early form of rock artwork very similar to that of the East Africans and Egyptians. The style of the painting suggests a high degree of fine motor skill and artistic appreciation of line and form. This is not generally found in the more repetitive and symbolic representations that have been daubed on rock since. The figures are very reminiscent of the nomadic tribes that still occupy Africa and have in the past wandered through Asia before returning to Africa. the Zulu, the Maasi, The Rendilli to name but a few of the linked Nomads. There are theories that the original artists may have been blown in having travelled in raft like ships across the Indian Ocean. The Baob trees in East Africa may have supplied their main travelling diet hence the predominance of one species only of Boab in The North West.
The study of the pre-history of man is an extremely sensitive issue with far reaching political consequences for today, both in Australia and worldwide. The British who have dominated the study of archaeology and anthropology worldwide for the last several centuries, including that of our continent, maintain that man descended from the apes, and that this alleged descent happened “yesterday”, in the scale of pre-history — that man had no speech before about 40,000 BP, was incapable of hunting animals before that time, had no maritime capability etc. Walsh on the other hand, has demonstrated that the people who painted the Bradshaw figures had a maritime culture, which arrived in Australia fully formed, with a very high degree of sophistication, perhaps as early as 40,000 BP, and possibly even earlier. This blows a giant hole in the normal British accounts of pre-history, and most importantly, in what the British have been trying to claim about mankind: that man is just another form of ape.
The question I have to ask every time I examine this art work is why, unlike other forms of rock art, would they represent women enjoying themselves? (Dancing with the men and children) In our culture it seems to me that this only happened when our civilisation achieved a point where they were equal and less encumbered by so called “female” duties. I ask the question, just based on the content of the images as well as the artistic level of composition, are we seeing the work of a civilisation that is equal to our in the way it treated its women? If so why did it die out?
The Bradshaw peoples were obviously so advanced that they had time to spend in pursuits other than survival mode. What is more to the point is why did they die out. There are apparently over a million images out there…thats a lot of people over a lot of time with lots of opportunity to create high levels of art forms.
As to where di we come from take any theory from the thousands out there then just find ways of proving or disproving them.
Robin Hutton
“BRADSHAW ART and later
Because of the unique geological and climatological conditions which existed there tens of thousands of years ago, the Kimberley are the oldest known repository of rock art in the world. The art in itself indicates that a people have been in the Kimberley, for the last 50,000 years. It is difficult to link the more recent rock art with the highly sophisticated Bradshaw work. (the present day Aboriginals themselves refer to the Bradshaw paintings as “rubbish paintings: before our time”), but it opens up extraordinary avenues of research on the pre-history of mankind going back at least 40,000 BP, and perhaps to 100,000 BP. or even earlier.
The famous Lascaux cave paintings of France, by contrast, are only 17,000 BP while the excellent epigraphic work by Barry Fell and his colleagues which goes back only to around 4,000 BP. (i.e. 2,000 BC)”
Text from Grahame Walsh’s description of Bradshaw works
Gwion Gwion (Bradshaw) Figures web link