Paintings, particularly those from the Desert, are painted using a lot of iconography.   Whilst we are told what an object (icon) represents, we aren’t always allowed to know its actual meaning.  One icon can often mean several different things.

A circle can represent a waterhole or a meeting place.  We do know that a waterhole, particularly in the Desert area, means water is present which is important for sustaining life.  That circle might also have another circle surrounding it that could represent women dancing around it in ceremony, but we might not be allowed to know any more about that ceremony.

The bold diamonds or repetitive patterns used on works done by artists in Arnhem Land also hold many secrets.  Only part of the pattern or a few diamonds are sacred the rest is done for effect, they are there to make the work look good.  Those that are initiated know which diamonds are the sacred ones.