Naked Hero - The Journey Away

I’m worried about,” said Lee.
    “We went through all this, mate. It’s not a problem. Now, where is it you’re taking me to? Somewhere inspirational I hope. I’ll just get changed and be with you in ten minutes.”

Chapter 50
    Lee had hired a car and driver for the afternoon to take them to the Art-talk Gallery, which lay on the eastern outskirts of Melbourne. Lewis tried to prise out of him what was so special about the place that they were going so far to see, but got little for his efforts. He had expected to go to the National Gallery of Victoria which was nearby. This was a surprise.
    The car pulled up about thirty minutes later, and as they approached the gallery, a stylishly dressed Aboriginal woman in her early fifties greeted them at the door.
    “Mr. Macleod, it’s a pleasure to welcome you,” she said warmly to Lewis. “My name is Alinka. Please, come in.” Then turning to Lee she added, “And you must be Mr. Porter. Thank you – we are very honoured.”
    As she led them to the entrance, Alinka continued, “There are no other visitors arranged for this afternoon, so please take your time. I can escort you around the rooms and explain some of the works if you like or just leave you to explore on your own.”
    Lewis could already see a few of the paintings in the reception area. They seemed like abstracts, but not like the ones he had seen when he had visited the Tate Modern the previous year having been dumped out of Wimbledon ignobly early. Given the nature of the woman and the work, he surmised they must be Aboriginal. “I’d love to hear about it. I doubt whether I’d make much sense of it on my own,” he said, happily accepting the guided tour offer.
    Alinka started to explain the nature of the art as they entered the first room, moving purposely from one picture to another in order to illustrate her points.
    “Aboriginal art offers an insight into the secret and sacred world of tribesmen and women, through captivating paintings and sculptures that conform to the criteria associated with all Fine Art. It is the oldest living art tradition in the world, with paintings in rock shelters dating back twenty thousand years. The art includes naturalistic paintings of human, plant and animal figures, as well as non-naturalistic or abstract designs, with concentric circles, ‘u’ shapes, and lines.
    “Much of Aboriginal art relates to stories of the Dreamtime. This Dreamtime is the Creation Period in Aboriginal belief, when important Ancestral Beings formed the land, and created the people, plants and animals. These Ancestral Beings, often depicted in the art, may take human, animal, plant or combined forms, and taught the people their laws and ceremonies.
    “The naturalistic style, predominant in Arnhem Land in northern Australia, is often characterised by ‘X-ray’ art, where the internal organs of animals are depicted.”
    A painting showing two kangaroos stood before them as she explained this - one floating upside down above the other. Lewis was captivated by it, and tried to appreciate how tribesmen would see more than just the outside of the animal. They were hunters, and it was food. The inside of the animal was equally important. A simplistic view, but Lewis reckoned he might be right.
    Alinka took them to a different area of the gallery then continued with her talk.
    “The abstract style, predominant in central Australia, originates from sacred designs used in ceremonies. These designs, originally for body painting, ground paintings, and carved on sacred stones and boards, are now painted on canvas.”
    Lewis wanted to know about the symbolism. What did it mean? Alinka was happy to explain as they stood before a patchwork in reds and black with connecting lines and circles.
    “The concentric circles usually represent camp sites, waterholes or places of significance. Curved lines generally represent rain or water travelling underground. Straight lines may be indicative of travelling, and when these lines join concentric circles, it may show the pathway travelled by the ancestors.”
    Lewis wandered around the rooms as in his own dream world. It wasn’t just the visual impact of the paintings, the skill that was there, the colours used - they excited the imagination. They were speaking to him, but he couldn’t understand the language, he only felt the words that had their roots in creation itself. At the end of the tour, one picture remained. Alinka was silent as Lewis