Body Painting Is A Form Of Body Art

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Kelsey Magee Focus Research Paper 31 March 2014 Body Painting, What is it? ! What is body painting? “Body painting, or sometimes bodypainting, is a form of body art. Unlike tattoos and other forms of body art, body painting is temporary, painted onto the human skin, and lasts for only several hours.” Body painting originated from the tradition of primitive tribes. “In many cases the painting was only used to decorate bodies, but generally it was used to express sorrow, it was a mark of a special tribe or a sign to distinguish tribes.”(Hamed) They also used it to scare off ghostlike enemies in religious dances. Over time, body painting spread to other parts of the world, according to historyofcosmetics, the first appearance of body painting in the west was in 1933 by a famous cosmetic inventor, Max Factor Sr. He used naked models in the 1933 World’s fair in Chicago. (History) It was not very popular until the 1960’s when it emerged in the west. The reason body painting was started in the west was because the artists wanted new and unique ways to express themselves in a shocking way. The hippie movement in the United States accepted sexuality and nudity as their way of life, so naked painted models was a great way to express that. (History) Body painting has spread all around the world today and is a fast growing form of art. ! There are several different forms of body painting and vary around the world in different cultures. Indigenous Body painting is done with clay and other natural pigments and is done by tribalist cultures. This is often worn during ceremonies and originated from Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific island, and Africa. Mehndi, which most know as “henna tattoos”, is a form of body painting, but a... ... middle of paper ... ...s become more popular and accepted all around the world. Works Cited "Body Painting." Visual Arts Cork. Encyclopedia of Fine Art. Web. 31 Mar 2014. Hamed, Osman, ed. "Bodypainting." B-Painting. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar 2014. ! Fray, Scott, ed. "Craig Tracy Biography." Craig Trac'ys Painted Alive ! ! Bodypainting Gallery. Craig Tracy, Painted Alive Bodypainting Gallery, 1 ! ! ! Mar 2014. Web. 31 Mar 2014. "History of Body Painting." History of Cosmetics. History of Cosmetics. Web. 31 Mar ! 2014. Montañez R, Dinhora (2013). Diario del Huila, ed. Body painting, el arte de la poesía ! corporal: Sobre el trabajo de Mao Mix R. Neiva. Slonina, Robin. "Body Painting Las Vegas." Skin City Body Painting. SkinCity, n.d. Web. ! 31 Mar 2014. World Bodypainting Association,. "The World Body Painting Fesival." Body Painting ! Festival. WB Production GmbH, n.d. Web. 31 Mar 2014

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