Over the Mountains 1949

Dorrit Black created this color linocut print, titled 'Over the Mountains,' during the interwar period, a time when Australian artists were increasingly engaging with international modernist movements. The image presents an abstracted landscape, simplifying natural forms into geometric shapes and vibrant colors. Black's artistic education in Europe exposed her to Cubism and other avant-garde styles, which profoundly influenced her approach to representation. What's interesting here is to consider how Black mediates these European influences with the Australian landscape, a landscape itself laden with colonial history and national identity. How does she adapt these imported artistic languages to depict a distinctly Australian experience? To fully understand Black's contribution, scholars often turn to exhibition reviews and manifestos from the period, seeking to understand the complex negotiation between local and international artistic dialogues.