Oceanic art and architecture

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dilly bag; Aboriginal Australian art, Northern Territory, Australia

Initiation scene in a cult house. From Abelam, Papua New Guinea. In the Museum of Ethnology, Basel, Switzerland.

Stone figure, igneous rock. From the Ambum River valley, Papua New Guinea. In the Australian National Gallery, Canberra.

Canoe prow, wood, paint, and cassowary feathers, from Geelvink Bay, Irian Jaya; in the Basel (Switz.) Museum of Cultures.

Double figure from a house post, wood. From Lake Sentani, Irian Jaya. In the Australian National Gallery, Canberra.

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Arts & Culture

Oceanic art and architecture

visual arts

Also known as: Oceanian art

Written by Douglas Newton

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

dilly bag; Aboriginal Australian art, Northern Territory, Australia

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Category: Arts & Culture

Related Topics:: Oceanic arts; art; Oceania; Pacific Islander; dendroglyph

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Oceanic art and architecture, the visual art and architecture of native Oceania, including media such as sculpture, pottery, rock art, basketry, masks, painting, and personal decoration. In these cultures, art and architecture have often been closely connected—for example, storehouses and meetinghouses are often decorated with elaborate carvings—and so they are presented together in this discussion. For more general explorations of media, see individual media articles (e.g., painting, sculpture, pottery, and textile). For a discussion of the characteristics, functions, and forms of masks, see mask. Until the 16th and 17th centuries, when European cultures appeared upon the scene, Oceanian cultures maintained ...(100 of 20297 words)

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