Summary Of The Painting 'Outsider And Lin Onus' Appropriation

Gordon Bennett and Lin Onus are both Australian indigenous artists who use appropriation to communicate the meaning and messages of the artwork. The ‘Outsider’ by Bennett and ‘Micheal and I are just slipping down the pub for a minute’ by Onus, use indigenous imagery and artistic features to convey and show to the public certain historical moments and the feelings behind them. ‘Outsider’ by Gordon Bennett is an appropriation of Vincent Van Gogh’s ‘Bedroom in Arles’ and ‘Starry Night’. It was made in 1988 during his education at the Queensland College of Art in his final year. The painting investigates issues associated with dominant white western culture played in constructing the social and cultural landscape of the country. He was also inspired

The disturbing symbolism used in the work promotes emotions of death and hatred, reminding the audience of a time once filled with harsh, inhuman actions. He has also used the rule of thirds, by placing the area of the headless body gushing out blood on the ‘grid lines’, making it the focal point of the painting. ‘Micheal and I are just slipping down to the pub for a minute’ by Lin Onus is an appropriation of Katsushika Hokusai’s painting ‘The Great Wave off Kanawa’. Onus is an Australian artist and is the son of William Onus who was an artist and activist who was prominent in the Aborigines Progressive Association. Lin grew up with his father's work, inspiring him with his strong social political values. Onus painting features a dingo striped in warm colours surfing on a cross-hatched sting ray. Both are top a wave inspired by Japanese artist Hokusai. the Dingo. Onus's symbol, rides the back of the Stingray, the symbol of fellow artist and collaborator Michael Eather. The painting shows a sense of kinship between the two

Both Onus and Bennett’s paintings are famously appropriated artworks that were completed by indigenous artists. The two artworks also both use juxtaposition with contrasting cool and warm tones. Lin Onus and Gordon Bennett both valued and represented indigenous history in their artworks, as Onus “addressed the political and social concerns of his people in a career that spanned the last three decades of the struggle for Indigenous rights” and Bennett “probed ideas about identity, fuelled partly by his own Indigenous heritage, and stared unflinchingly at race, history, self and truth, insistently leaving his work open to interpretation.’’ Both of these quotes show the similarity in their interests and passion they share together. Though Lin Onus and Gordon Bennett are in some ways similar, both are incredibly different. Visually Bennett’s artwork gives off a much more grotesque and dark mood, whereas Onus’s painting emits a lighter and more care-free mood. Onus also uses a lot of linework and precise shapes, whilst Bennett uses very organic and fluid brushstrokes to create a more realistic overall look. The meaning behind each artwork is also very