The Art in Body Art

The art Behind the body art

Body art is created on or including the human body. The most popular forms of body art are the use of tattoos and or piercings. Although there are many more forms, such as:
Branding
Scarification
Sub-dermal implants
Shaping via corsets
Full body tattoos
Body painting

Body painting unlike most other forms or body art is temporary. With this art form you paint onto the human skin with a removable substance. The paint can last up to several hours, or if henna is used it could last up to a couple of weeks.

In most tribalistic cultures body painting with natural earth products like clay and different colours and different shades of dirt. This designs were used mostly during ceremonial practises and has been commonly found amongst the history or tribes originating in
Australia
New Zealand
The pacific islands
parts of Africa

Since the 1960's the act of body painting has began to make a revival. But the legitimacy of body painting as a recognised art form is still being questioned to this date. The origins of this current revival could be dated back to as early as 1933 where max factor sr, and a model named sally Rand were taken into custody for causing a public disturbance when he body painted sally with his new specially designed line of hollywood makeup.

Body painting is not always large pieces on fully nude bodies, but can be smaller intricate designs and pieces on clothed subjects.

In the 1950's and 1960's body painting sparked a small artist movement which involved painting a model from head to toe in paint and having the model roll and touch large canvas's to produce pieces
which expressed the lines and movement of the models in an abstract way.

Body painting is also used as a way of gaining attention during political protests by organisations such as PETA and Burberry.