Everything You Should Know About Body Painting
While Roman and Greek statues are life-like, body painting literally brings the artwork to life. Body painting has been around since the beginning of humankind as a form of celebration, preparation for war, and funerals in ancient tribes. But in recent years, body painting has become a feminist niche in contemporary art.
Now, body painting is used to celebrate body positivity and the normalization of nude bodies. Over time, female body painting has become increasingly popular, with many female body painters gaining traction on social media. So let’s dive into it. Here is everything you need to know about body painting!
What is Body Painting?
Even though many people are familiar with face painting, the connection between body painting and face painting is usually never made. This is because face painting is typically associated with a quick 10-minute face painting at a carnival. While body painting, on the other hand, is a more refined and impressive form of art that is a much longer process and can take hours. Although they are widely different in purpose, the idea of using the human body as a canvas is relatively the same.
Body painting is similar to face painting, but it extends to the entire body. While body painting is typically done nude, it does not always entail fully naked bodies. Some men and women decide to wear undergarments or even costumes as part of the art.
Body Painting as a live Art
Body painting is live art somewhere between a performance and traditional art such as paintings and photography. In body painting, there are sometimes a few different ways that the audience views the art. The first is when a model is painted out in public. This part of body painting can be considered a performance since people who pass by can watch the art being created. The second occurs after a photograph of the body art is taken. The audience has changed from people who viewed the body painting in-person to those looking at a finished photograph.
How Body Painting Became Popular as an Art Form
Paintings of women’s bodies have always been popular throughout history, but the first modern full female body painting was first created in 1933 by Max Factor Sr. at the World’s Fair in Chicago. Unfortunately, his body painting didn’t get the reaction he wanted. It was considered more of a jarring statement than a form of art respected by the public. Although this incident didn’t popularize body painting as an art, it inspired future artists to utilize his techniques of putting women in body paint.
Body painting actually became popular during the 1960s when people who started to fight for women’s rights would paint their bodies as a social and political statement. These body painters were labeled “hippies,” but the art form was starting to grow as fine art as well as a political tool.
What Type of Paint is Used for Body Painting
Artists use a few different types of body paints, including water-based paint, latex paint, and alcohol-based paint. Water-based paint is best for projects that don’t take as much time since it is easy to rinse off but does not stay on for a long time. Latex paint is good to use since it sets really quickly, but the artist needs to make sure the model is not allergic to latex before starting. Finally, alcohol-based paints are the longest-lasting, but they can be difficult to clean. Each type of body paint has its own pros and cons that make them unique, so it is best for the artist to consider all factors for a project before picking a body paint.
To learn more check out How to Choose Your Bodypaint Guide
Different Types of Body Painting
Within body painting itself, there are many different styles of body painting. If you are looking for body paint ideas, check out the different types of body painting that you can do.
Character or Creature Body Painting
If you have ever seen a person painted as a specific character, whether it be from a movie, video game, or mythology, you have seen character body painting.
How Body Painting Embodies Female Empowerment
It may initially feel intimidating for models to have their entire body painted since they may feel exposed and vulnerable, but most women who decide to get their body painted end up wanting to do it again. This is because body painting is a great way to celebrate body positivity since artists want all types of bodies to be painted.
Women who model body painting feel the sexiness of the strength and empowerment to be vulnerable enough to allow someone to paint directly on their bodies. Body painting allows women to feel like they can step into their power and claim it for themselves. They realize that their bodies are beautiful and can be pieces of art meant to be cherished. This is why body painting is extremely powerful in political, social, and sexual climates. The power that comes from body painting is often harnessed in critical human rights movements. With body painting, artists declare that women’s bodies are a statement of empowerment. They deserve to be seen, normalized, and celebrated.
Art is the language that fuses creativity and pictures to drive a message home. Popular modern artists like Trina Merry has using art to depict various emotions, appearances, and actions of people. Female body painting is one of the most used approach and here are the 35 most intriguing female body painting designs that create realistic impressions.
1. The Goddess Bodypaint- Kali
