Customer Reviews

Time Before Morning: Art and Myth of the Australian Aborigines

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At a time when newcomers to the Australian outback scorned the art and myths of the aborigines, and the aborigines themselves were discarding their art after its ceremonial use was over, Louis A. Allen began collecting not only the art itself, but also the history and myths behind each piece. Allen traveled all over the country, meeting the artists, sitting with them in their camps and recording their stories. This was at a time in the middle of the last century when paintings were still done on bark, using natural pigments for paints. Time Before Morning is the result of Allen's intense relationship with the artists and their art. With 167 illustrations of the myths portrayed in the artwork, Allen recounts, with the skill of a master storyteller, the great myth cycles of the aborigines. It is a beautiful, profound history written about people whose origin stories had never been set down in written words. Allen's work revived interest in aboriginal art in Australia, and he eventually sold most of his collection to the government of Western Australia so the artistic legacy of the aboriginal people could be appreciated by all.
Terry Beck