The arts in Australia have been influenced by its culture including a sense of European Australian isolation and remoteness. The original culture of Australia can only be surmised: cultural patterns among the remote descendants of the first Australians cannot be assumed to be unchanged after 53,000 (or more) years of human habitation of the continent. ...

The vigour and originality of the arts in Australia — film, music, opera, painting, theatre, dance and crafts — are achieving international recognition. In practice, it is difficult to discern much about Australian culture by examining the isolated peaks of music, dance or literature. Ned Kelly depicted in the first Australian feature-length narrative film The cinema of Australia has a long history and has produced many internationally-recognized films and world-famous actors and filmmakers, although it has frequently suffered from an underfunded industry. ... The earliest music of Australia was the folk music of the Australian Aborigines. ... Australia is home to perhaps the oldest continuous artistic traditions in the world - that is, those of the Aboriginal Australians, an artistic tradition that began to receive international recognition in the late 20th century. ... A wide variety of dance occurs in Australia. ...

Traditional "high culture" gains small attention from much of the population, it thrives with excellent galleries (even in small towns); a rich tradition in ballet, enlivened by the legacy of Dame Margot Fonteyn and Sir Robert Helpmann; a strong national opera company based in Sydney; and good symphony orchestras in all capital cities—the Melbourne and Sydney symphony orchestras are said to be worthy of comparison with any. Margot Fonteyn ( 18 May 1919- 21 February 1991) was a leading British ballet dancer of her time. ... Sir Robert Helpmann (April 9, 1909 – September 28, 1986), Australian dancer, actor, director and choreographer, was born in Mount Gambier, South Australia. ... The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra was founded by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1934 as one of its radio orchestras. ... Sydney Symphony Orchestra, now known as the Sydney Symphony, is a symphony orchestra based in Sydney, Australia. ...

Art – painting and sculpture

Main article: Art of Australia

Australia has had a significant school of painting since the early days of European settlement and Australians with international reputations include Sidney Nolan, Russell Drysdale and Arthur Boyd—not to mention the prized work of many Aboriginal artists. Popular with the general community have been Ken Done best known for his design work, Pro Hart and Rolf Harris, a British/Australian living in the UK is popular as a musician, composer, painter and television host. Australia is home to perhaps the oldest continuous artistic traditions in the world - that is, those of the Aboriginal Australians, an artistic tradition that began to receive international recognition in the late 20th century. ... Nolans Painting of Ned Kelly on trial Icon based on Ned Kelly painting series Sir Sidney Robert Nolan (April 22, 1917 - 28 November 1992) was one of Australias most well-known painters. ... Drysdale Sir George Russell Drysdale (7 February 1912-29 June 1981) was an Australian artist. ... Arthur Merric Bloomfield Boyd (July 20, 1920 - April 24, 1999) was a prominent Australian artist, both as a painter and sculptor. ... Ken Done (born 29 June 1940) is an Australian artist probably best known for his design work; his simple, brightly coloured images of Australian landmarks have adorned a very popular range of clothing and homewares sold under the Done Design brand. ... Kevin Charles Pro Hart, MBE (May 30, 1928 - March 28, 2006), born in Broken Hill, New South Wales, was considered the father of the Australian Outback painting movement and his works are widely admired for capturing the true spirit of the outback. ... Rolf Harris. ...

Cinema

Main article: Cinema of Australia

Australia has a long history of film production—in fact, it is claimed that the first feature-length film was actually an Australian production. However, the purchase of virtually all cinemas by American distribution companies saw an almost total disappearance of Australian films from the screens. A notable exception was Charles Chauvel's classic Jedda (1955). During the late 1960s and 1970s an influx of government funding saw the development of a new generation of directors and actors telling distinctively Australian stories. Films such as Picnic at Hanging Rock and Sunday, Too Far Away had an immediate international impact. The 1980s is regarded as perhaps a golden age of Australian cinema, with many wildly successful films, from the dark science fiction of Mad Max to the comedy of Crocodile Dundee, a film that defined Australia in the eyes of many foreigners despite having remarkably little to do with the lifestyle of most Australians. The early 1990s saw a run of successful comedies such as Muriel's Wedding and Strictly Ballroom, which helped launch the careers of Toni Collette, P. J. Hogan and Baz Luhrmann. The indigenous film industry continues to produce a reasonable number of films each year; also, many US producers have moved productions to Australian studios as they discover a pool of professional talent well below US costs. Notable productions include The Matrix and the Star Wars Episode II and III. Ned Kelly depicted in the first Australian feature-length narrative film The cinema of Australia has a long history and has produced many internationally-recognized films and world-famous actors and filmmakers, although it has frequently suffered from an underfunded industry. ... Charles Chauvel {1897 - 1959) was an Australian film maker, born in Queensland. ... Jedda (1955) was the last movie made by Charles Chauvel, and the first to star two Aboriginal actors, (Robert Tudawali and Ngarla Kunoth), in the leading roles. ... Picnic at Hanging Rock book cover. ... Mad Max is an Australian apocalyptic science fiction film starring Mel Gibson. ... Crocodile Dundee is a 1986 Australian comedy film set in the Australian Outback in the area around Walkabout Creek and in New York City. ... Muriels Wedding is a 1994 Australian movie written and directed by P. J. Hogan and starring Toni Collette as Muriel, and Rachel Griffiths as her sensible and down to earth friend Rhonda. ... Strictly Ballroom is the name of a 1986 play and its 1992 film adaptation. ... Toni Collette promoting In Her Shoes Antonia Collette (born November 1, 1972) is an Academy award-nominated Australian actress. ... P. J. Hogan (born 1962) is an Australian film director. ... Baz Luhrmann (born Mark Anthony Luhrmann on September 17, 1962) is an Australian film director. ... The Matrix is a science-fiction/action film first released in the USA on March 31, 1999, written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski. ... The cover of the 2004 DVD widescreen release of the original Star Wars Trilogy. ...

Literature

Main article: Australian literature

Writers who have achieved world recognition include Thomas Keneally, Les Murray, Colleen McCullough, Nevil Shute, Morris West, Jill Ker Conway, Booker Prize winner Peter Carey and Nobel Prize winner Patrick White. Noted expatriate writers include Germaine Greer and Clive James, who are sometimes better known in the UK than they are in Australia and the art critic Robert Hughes. Australian literature in English began soon after the establishment of the country by Europeans. ... Thomas Keneally Thomas Michael Keneally (born October 7, 1935) also Tom Keneally, is an Australian novelist. ... Colleen McCullough (born 1 June 1937) is an internationally acclaimed Australian author. ... Nevil Shute (London, January 17, 1899 – Melbourne, January 12, 1960) (full name Nevil Shute Norway) was one of the most popular novelists of the mid-20th century. ... Morris West Morris Langlo West (April 26, 1916 - October 9, 1999) was an Australian writer. ... Jill Ker Conway (born 9 September 1934) is an Australian-American author, best known for her autobiographies, in particular her first memoirs The Road from Coorain. ... The Man Booker Prize for Fiction, also known as the Man Booker Prize, or simply the Man Booker, is one of the worlds most important literary prizes, and awarded each year for the best original novel written by a citizen of the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland in... Peter Carey (born February 7, 1943) is an Australian novelist. ... Sir Edward Appletons medal Photographs of Nobel Prize Medals. ... Patrick White (May 28, 1912 – September 30, 1990) was an Australian author. ... Dr. Germaine Greer Germaine Greer (born January 29, 1939) is an Australian academic, writer, and broadcaster, who is widely regarded as one of the most significant feminist voices of the 20th century. ... // London and Cambridge In late 1961 James moved to England, which he has now made his home. ... Robert Studley Forrest Hughes (born July 28, 1938), usually known simply as Robert Hughes, OA is an Australian art critic, writer, documentary broadcaster and republican (anti-monarchist). ...

Performing arts

Main article: Performing arts in Australia

Dance

Main article: Dance in Australia

Dance in Australia is diverse, ranging from The Australian Ballet to the Restless Dance Company to the many local dance studios. A wide variety of dance occurs in Australia. ... The Australian Ballet Company was founded in 1962. ... A dance studio is a studio which is established to teach dance. ...

Music

Main article: Music of Australia

The earliest music of Australia was the folk music of the Australian Aborigines. ...

Aboriginal music

Main article: Indigenous Australian music

Aboriginal song was and remains an integral part of Aboriginal culture since time immemorial. The most famous feature of their music is the didgeridoo. This wooden instrument, used amongst the Aboriginal clans of northern Australia, makes a distinctive droning sound and its use has been adopted by a wide variety of non-Aboriginal performers. Indigenous Australian music (indigenous aboriginal music is just SPLEnDID!) includes the music of Australian Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, who are collectively called Indigenous Australians, it incorporates a wide variety of distinctive traditional music styles practised by Indigenous Australian peoples, as well as a range of contemporary musical styles both... A didgeridoo. ...

Aboriginal musicians have turned their hand to Western popular musical forms, often to considerable commercial success. Some notable examples include Archie Roach, the Warumpi Band, NoKTuRNL and Yothu Yindi. Archie Roach (born 1956, Mooroopna, Victoria) is an Australian musician. ... The Warumpi Band was an Australian band from the bush, coming from Papunya, Northern Territory, Australia. ... NoKTuRNL are a four piece band formed in 1996 in Alice Springs, Northern Territory Australia. ... Yothu Yindi (Yolngu for Child and Mother) is an Australian band with Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal members. ...

Pop and rock

Main articles: Australian rock and Australian pop

Australia has produced a wide variety of popular music. While many musicians and bands (some notable examples include the 1960s successes of The Easybeats and the folk-pop group The Seekers, through the heavy rock of AC/DC and the slick pop of INXS and more recently Savage Garden) have had considerable international success, there remains some debate over whether Australian popular music really has a distinctive sound. Perhaps the most striking common feature of Australian music, like many other Australian art forms, is the dry, often self-deprecating humour evident in the lyrics. Australian rock and pop musicians have produced a wide variety of music. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... The Easybeats were a rock and roll band in the 1960s from Australia. ... The Seekers are a group of Australian folk-influenced popular musicians which was formed in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia in 1963. ... AC/DC are a hard rock band formed in Sydney, Australia in 1973 by rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young and his brother, lead guitarist Angus Young. ... INXS (pronounced In Excess) is an Australian rock group. ... Savage Garden was an Australian pop duo that enjoyed international success over the course of several years. ...

Until the late 1960s, many have argued that Australian popular music was largely indistinguishable from imported music: British to begin with, then gradually more and more American in the post-war years. The sudden arrival of the 1960s underground movement into the mainstream in the early 1970s changed Australian music permanently: Skyhooks were far from the first people to write songs in Australia, by Australians, about Australia, but they were the first ones ever to make money doing it. The two best-selling Australian albums ever made (at that time) put Australian music on the map. Within a few years, the novelty had worn off and it became commonplace to hear distinctively Australian lyrics and sometimes sounds side-by-side with the imitators and the imports. The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Skyhooks was an Australian rock band of the 1970s, sometimes classified as a glam rock band, although this is mainly the result of the bands flamboyant costumes and makeup. ...

The national expansion of ABC youth radio station Triple J during the 1990s has greatly increased the visibility and availability of homegrown talent to listeners nationwide. Since the mid 1990s a string of successful alternative Australian acts have emerged - artists to achieve both underground (critical) and mainstream (commercial) success include silverchair, Grinspoon, Powderfinger and Jet. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) [1] is Australias national non-commercial public broadcaster. ... Triple J (JJJ) is a nationally-networked, government-funded Australian radio station (a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation), mainly aimed at youth (defined as those between 12 and 25). ... See also 1990s, the band The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive, sometimes informally including popular culture from 2000 and 2001. ... See also 1990s, the band The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive, sometimes informally including popular culture from 2000 and 2001. ... For the C. S. Lewis novel, see The Silver Chair. ... Grinspoon are an Australian alternative/grunge rock band from Lismore, fronted by Phil Jamieson with Pat Davern on guitar, Joe Hansen on bass and Kristian Hopes on drums. ... Powderfinger is an Australian rock band. ... Jet is a rock band from Melbourne, Australia, whose debut album Get Born, released in 2003, has so far sold over 2. ...

Classical music

The first Australian musician of any sort to achieve international fame was operatic soprano Nellie Melba, in the late 19th century. Well-known soprano Joan Sutherland is also from Australia. Look up Soprano in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Dame Nellie Melba in role of Rosina from the Barber of Seville Dame Nellie Melba GBE, DBE (19 May 1861 - 23 February 1931), born Helen Porter Mitchell, was an Australian opera soprano, the first Australian to achieve international recognition in the form. ... Joan Sutherland as Norma Dame Joan Sutherland OM, AC, DBE (born November 7, 1926) is an Australian opera singer noted for her contribution to the bel canto revival of the 1950s and 1960s. ...

Australia has a considerable history of classical performance, with symphony orchestras established around the state capitals in the early 20th century, as well as opera companies and other musical ensembles. However, relatively few Australian classical compositions have achieved lasting recognition.

Theatre

Main article: Theatre in Australia

See also

• Architecture of Australia
• Performing arts in Australia
  • Performing arts education in Australia

External links

• Australia Council for the Arts
• Culture and Recreation Portal]