Contemporary art is diverse, and one of the types is body painting, which is increasingly becoming a position in the ways people express themselves. The least traumatic and most aesthetic and artistic is body painting with special paints. But body painting is not limited to drawings. These are tattoos, piercing, scarring and modifications, that is, the inclusion, implantation of various elements in the body. The cultural direction has recently, in the 60s of the last century. But it originated in antiquity. What is body painting on the body? Why is it needed, how does it affect people's self-expression and where is it used?
Bit of history
In ancient times, our ancestors painted the body for disguise, merging with the environment when they went hunting. In some tribes, such art was sacred in the service of pagan gods, spirits. For other nations - to intimidate enemies, attract good luck, protection from various evil spirits.
Many religious movements to this day use drawings on the skin in preparation for their ceremonies, for example, Hindu movements. But in the tribes of Africa, body painting on a naked body means one or another hierarchical position or simply the stages of growing up a boy. Tattoos, incisions turning into scars can show how hardy a young man is when they are doing these operations. In other cases, this is a special sign of a man and a designation of his functions in the tribe.
Over time, body painting lost its popularity and revived later in the civilized world, when sailors, sailing on ships, began to talk about the customs and culture of different countries and peoples. This type of art was especially popular in the middle of the last century, when it began to acquire extraordinary forms.
Body painting of a man
With the development of show business, male body painting on the body is becoming more and more popular. Theatrical performances, sporting events, the presentation of clothing collections, photo shoots and advertising - this is an incomplete list of events where the stronger sex can show a wonderful relief of his muscles. As a powerful advertising weapon of killer power, body painting on a man’s body rightfully takes its place in shaping the status of leading brands and companies in the fashion world.
Modern body painting
With the advent of various technologies, body painting as art began to be used at fashion shows, in nail painting, and hairdressing championships. The heyday was facilitated by the fact that various informal movements entered the world, for which the taboos and some stereotypes previously imposed by society were broken. The body as an object of worship began to be modified by various subcultures. Creative youth brought a fresh stream, and this art in the most hypertrophied forms has become quite commonplace in everyday life to such an extent that it does not shock anyone or even surprise anyone.
There are several different body painting techniques, from the most harmless to the harshest. The body changes by implanting various devices and elements into it that can carry the symbolism of the subculture to which this or that individual belongs.
Drawing on the body with vegetable paints
The most common technique - the decoration of body parts - involves the use of natural dyes. Body painting is body painting and should not be confused with body painting in general. Drawing on the face, hands, torso is directly related to the arts and crafts, design, makeup, photography. Even modern psychology offers an unusual technique for correcting mental state by drawing masks on the face.
A very beautiful and attractive pattern or ornament with ordinary henna, borrowed from Indian culture. The pattern may look like a simple ligature of leaflets on the fingers, hands, ankles. It is completely harmless and will be washed off after a couple of weeks. Exotic body art on the body of girls looks very beautiful and attractive to men.
The real work of art is drawings on the body with gouache or make-up, manually or with the help of an airbrush. There is no limit to the artist’s imagination. A specialist can express his vision of the world in a wide variety of forms, varying simple and most unexpected and complex drawings. Unusual paintings in gentle colors are often ordered by the bride on the eve of the wedding. Future mothers look very cute before the birth of the baby, who want to capture their condition at photo shoots and turned to the artist. Body painting on a woman’s body looks especially fun when a balloon or a funny Mickey Mouse face is depicted on an already large tummy.
Tattoos
The belief that tattoos or tattoos are done only by criminals who want to indicate their hierarchical position in places not so remote has long sunk into oblivion. The sophisticated technique has acquired a more civilized look, and now various drawings on the body can be seen both on the man and on the beautiful body of a woman.
Unlike ink painting, the tattoo will always remain on the skin, because it uses a special needle. With small, precise movements, the master drives paints into the body, injuring the skin. In a specialized salon, a tattoo artist can apply any desired pattern to a client. In this case, all safety precautions and sanitary standards are observed. Recently, masters have achieved high professionalism, stuffing on the body real works of art of high quality.
Piercings
At the time of the great mariners, pirates made punctures in their ears and wore an earring. Until recently, ear jewelry was the privilege of women only. Now the fashion for piercing has spread to the stronger floor. Punctures began to be made wherever possible: in the nose, eyebrows, lips, navels and even nipples and genitals. This body painting on the body is very similar to the customs of African tribes, but instead of earrings, wooden sticks were inserted there.
Scarification, implantation and modification
Perhaps this is the most traumatic type of body painting. But this does not scare away at all, but even attracts those customers who want to modify their body. Sometimes it takes the most grotesque and frightening forms. It should be remembered that it is very difficult, and sometimes impossible, to return everything to its original form.
Scarification is practically an operation during which deep cuts of the chosen shape and configuration are applied to the body. After the wounds heal, scars remain and the desired pattern appears. This technique requires a person to have great willpower, endurance and patience. This procedure is mainly decided by men. The stereotype that scars adorn is the place to be here, so the male body painting on the body remains so popular. One of the types of scarring is branding, when a pattern on the skin is burned with a hot object.
The imagination of man has no limit! Split (cutting the tongue in half), tunnels in the earlobes, changing the upper shape of the ears in the form of a tip, like fairy elves, and so on, the list of body modifications can be long. All these are quite painful operations requiring special skill.
A very unusual body painting on the body, which implies the implantation of various implants under the skin, is implantation. The specialist makes a cut and inserts balls, rings of steel, Teflon or silicone into it. After that, neat seams are applied, and when everything heals, objects create the desired pattern. The most exotic implants are the “horns” under the scalp, which are made by brutal men who want to impress others.