Body Art
Human form as a canvas Body art has a long history and dates back to the earliest times. Whether with permanent marks like tattoos or scars, or temporary decorations like makeup, clothing, and hairstyles, body art is a way of signaling an individual s place in society, marking a special moment, celebrating a transition in life or simply following a fashion. Whether you look to ancient history, Modernism, or twenty-first century art, you can find examples of adorning the human body or using the human body as a canvas for artistic expression.
Adorning the Human Form (decorating, embellishing, ornamenting,beautifying) Although ink tattoos are the most popular modern form of body art, human beings have been adorning their bodies for aesthetic or ritualistic reasons in some manner or another for thousands of years. Whether it is with the fine strokes of an artist's airbrush or the precision slices of an expert's scalpel, the world of human body art and body modification is virtually limitless. Anthropologists have discovered that body art is one of the human universals that are found in every culture on the planet.
Ancient Egyptian wooden mask When studying body art history, it is striking to notice how the different versions of both modern and tribal body art are reflections of the societies that their subjects lived within. Body art is nearly always heavily influenced by the aesthetic and social taboos of the societies that encourage their use.
Historically, permanent body art was used to: Correct the human form into the given culture's concept of ideal physical beauty. Massai warrior-kenya
Ndebele woman(africa) and Myanmar women (Asia) wearing Traditional Neck Rings
Indian tribal cultures also dictate the piercing of the nostril. Coming of Age The acceptance of such adornment was considered a part of reaching social maturity. Body art rituals served as a rite of passage. The Apache "Coming of Age" Ceremony, where corn pollen is painted on a young woman.
Identification: tribe members and outsiders can identify each other by means of their body art. Maori Tattoos
Social status: usually, the bigger the body modifications, the higher on the social ladder someone was. Native American Chief War Body Paint
Body Art Today In modern society, body art is typically used as: A form of self-expression. A critique of the aesthetic values of the larger society. An expression of spirituality or religion. A fashion statement. A beauty enhancement. A rite of passage of the counter culture and mainstream world alike. Subcultural identification: people use body art to show they belong to a certain subculture (conformism).
Tiwi men in full body design for the funeral of an important man. Ancient peoples were painting their faces and bodies far before the first tattoos or piercings were innovated. By some, body painting is considered the earliest form of art. Body painting with natural pigments such as clay existed in most tribal communities such as the indigenous people (Aborigines) of Australia.
In India and the Middle East, body painting is known as Mehndi. Mehndi is a form of body painting that uses dyes made from Henna. It is typically applied on brides.
Body and face painting today is also used for various reasons: Ceremonial, Camouflage during and Religious/Spiritual
Military face painting
A Hindu devotee, his face painted blue, prepares to embark on a pilgrimage.
Holi, the Indian festival of colour
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85zxhjmvdpg
In the modern world, contemporary body painting has become an established media of fine art during the course of the last couple of decades.
The New Zealand body painter called Joanne Gair (aka Kiwi Jo) is considered one of the world's leading body paint artist. Her art appeared in the Swimsuit Issues from Sports Illustrated from 1999 to 2009. One of her most famous works is her Disappearing Model: