Aboriginal art on canvas and board only began 40 years ago: Traditionally, the paintings we now see on canvas, were scratched or drawn on rock walls, used in body paint or on ceremonial articles and importantly, drawn in sand or dirt accompanied by the song or story. In 1971, Geoffrey Bardon a school teacher working with Aboriginal children in Papunya, noticed the Aboriginal men, while telling stories to others, were drawing symbols in the sand. He encouraged them to put these stories down on board and canvas, and there began the famous Aboriginal art movement. It was a major leap for indigenous people to begin painting their stories on western rectangular shaped surfaces – a totally foreign concept in their world. Since then, Australian Aboriginal Art has been tagged the most exciting contemporary art form of the 20th Century.