Body Paint Art Moments We Love
What is the first image that comes to your mind when you think about body art painting? Nude body covered with paint? Tattoo? Tribal art? All of the above? If the mentioning of body paint art makes you think of something similar to what was just described, in a way, you’ll be on the right path. Those are all various forms of body art.
But, when we say body paint art, we think of something much more sophisticated. We think of a truly artistic approach to painting a skin, while creating an art masterpiece of its kind. We think of stunning precision and an amazing eye for a detail. Not everyone can do it, trust us on this one.
It truly takes a creative soul to make something glorifying out of the human body like some of the body art moments that we are going to present to you right now. Some of them are traditional, indigenous, and symbolic, and some of those will blow your mind with its originality and greatness.
If you want to explore more about the body art history and its illuminative impact on the contemporary art scene, this book is a must-read for you. Rich in color illustrations, this book takes you by the hand and guides you through the history of body art, from the tribal expressions to its role in the theatricality and body ornamentation, touching also the topic of its influence on contemporary artists. The chapters will carry you on a trip around the world, with stops to pick up the body painting art trends in Nigeria, Samoa, Australia, Japan, or Amazonia. The book also reflects on tattoos, masquerade, and performance installations as different forms of body art.
Featured image: Craig Tracy with a model during the making of his Three Weeks artwork - Image via Gonola.com
Craig Tracy – Master of Body Paint Techniques
There are artists out there who truly mastered the variety of body paint possibilities. Undoubtedly, one of the most important body artists around the world is - Craig Tracy, a New Orleans-based artist who has dedicated his whole career (and life) to painting the human body. 'It is my intent to continue to explore and expand the perceptions and boundaries of this most ancient, alluring, and contemporary art form', stated Craig Tracy himself about his vision of body art. Not only did he specified in one form of the body art, but he is more than successful in several ones. As a fine art body painter, he is depicting animals on bodies, but he is also making truly stunning work inspired by nature and some breath-taking designed body art pieces, as well as abstract, multi-body arrangements, newborn paintings, and much more. Tracy graduated from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale in Florida, and he is living and working in New Orleans, where he owns the Craig Tracy Fine Art Bodypainting Gallery.
Featured image: Craig Tracy - Salvation South China Tiger - Image via Craigtracy.com
Slider image: Craig Tracy - Eminence - Image via Craigtracy.com
Black and White - Is it Too Plain?
A whole category hides within black and white artistic images of duo-chromatic, or even monochromatic body paintings. Some of you may think that the black and white contrast is too plain for the artists to uplift, but they will prove you wrong. Selected artworks have shown that impeccable concept could be made simply by playing with black and white paint on the human body, including its surroundings as well. Some really inspiring work could be found in this category.
Featured image: Left: Body Art Black and White - Image via Viralands.com / Right: Body Art by Craig Tracy - Photo by Ruven Afanador - Image via Lifestyleslife.com
Body Art with a Deep Spiritual Meaning
Australian Aborigines carefully nurture the tradition of body art painting throughout the centuries. Body painting is deeply traditional for them, and often related to religious rituals. Among the Aborigines, body art holds a different meaning and could be seen in distinct forms depending on the region. Body painting is often used to tell a story about the one who is carrying it on. Symbols are quite popular, as well as various color schemes particularly created for the tribe’s needs. Some of them, for instance, use only white and yellow combination as their recognition mark. Every type of body art painting corresponds to some law, regulation or convention, and has a deep spiritual meaning. The culture of Australian Aborigines has developed for thousands of years, and despite social and environmental issues concerning the survival of the Aboriginal culture and identity, strong body art preservation indicates continued existence of their unique way of life.
Featured image: Left: Freystupid - Meanwhile Aborigenes - Image via Pintereset.com/ bloglovin / Right: Aboriginal Body Art - Image via Pinterest.com
Slider image: Traditional Aboriginal Body Paint Art - Image via Evepedder.blogspot.com
Diamonds in the Rough
Once more, Craig Tracy did a hell of a job! It is the body paint masterpiece, there’s no doubt about that. Making some of the body parts glow in a shape of a diamonds, while the others remain invisible to the eye, is truly masterful apply of the creation and skills Craig Tracy has. He hasn’t become the most famous body artists in the world by accident. No, nothing accidental in his work. Only perfect little labors of love. With a lot of labor and a lot of love included, along with a lot of planning, strategy-making, body-positioning, role-modelling, and, of course, inevitable surgeon alike precision. With the piece Reflected, Tracy proved his mastery.
Featured image: Crag Tracy - Reflected (part 1) - Image via Craigtracy.com
Slider images: Crag Tracy - Reflected (part 2) - Image via Craigtracy.com, Crag Tracy - Reflected (part 3) - Image via Craigtracy.com
Skin Wars – Body Art Turned into TV Show
Skin Wars is the body painting TV competition, hosted by Rebecca Romijn, that premiered in the U.S. in 2014, produced by the Game Show Network (GSN). It is the first GSN’s television show devoted to body art, with Craig Tracy, RuPaul Charles, and Robin Slonina as judges. As a second season spinoff, the network aired the special show named Skin Wars: Fresh Paint, hosted by RuPaul. It featured six well-known artists, with a task to leave their comfort zones and compete in body painting for the first time. In 2016, the show is airing the episodes of its third season. For the winner of every season, there is a $100,000 cash prize, along with a show champion title. Whether this is the right way to promote art or not, body painting did become more popular in America thanks to this show. Every episode is watched by approximately 500,000 viewers.
Featured image: Left: New Zealand-based artist Lara Hawker - Image used for the Skin Wars advertising poster - Image via Deviantart.com / Right: Amanda Rea as an actress-model during the first season of the Skin Wars by the Game Show Network - Image via Imdb.com
Human Chameleons Defying Nature
Can you differ human body from the rest of the painting? We hardly could, to be honest. These human chameleons are something really special in the field of fine art in body painting. It demands highly skillful artist to make those and a truly devoted photographer to present the big picture for the observers. Camouflaged models are maybe the most difficult ones to paint, but those surely are some of the most interesting ones to watch. Do you agree?
Featured image: Left: Sylwia Dudzinska - Winner of the Body Art category at KryolanTALENT competition - Image via Kryolan.com / Right: Body Art Chameleon - Photo by Tam CS - Image via Flickr.com
Slider image: Craig Tracy - Prowl - Image via Craigtracy.com; Left: Craig Tracy - Restless - Image via Craigtracy.com / Right: Graffiti Body Painting - Image via Mrpilgrim.co.uk
50 Shades of Gold
Maybe it doesn’t seem too much of an amusement to paint a body only in one color, but when that color is gold, believe us, those body paint could appear as a pure gold for an aesthetic eye of the viewer. Even with only one color as a tool, possibilities are endless. There are so many different shades and gold-tones, and such diverse ways of applying it to the body itself. On the one hand, artists play with covering every inch of the body into the gold glow, and sometimes they prefer a simple final golden touch. When you find yourself in front of the human face somewhere covered with golden plates it is like having a 24-karat plated gold on the top of the finest chocolate cake you’ve ever eaten in your life. Thrill could be the same.
Featured image: Left: Gold Body Paint - Image via Ametroepeia.pblogs.gr / Right: Gold Body Art - Image via Hugsforbears.tumblr.com
Welcome to the Delusional World
Take a look at these photos. What do you see? Now look back one more time. Is your vision altered somehow? Welcome to the optical illusion delusions made by the masterful artists of the body paint. Those are truly amazing, aren’t they? One can hardly draw the line between the body and the surroundings, which is not that simple to achieve. Not simple at all, as a matter of fact. Only the best out of the best artists can manage this much details and precision. Needless to say, words cannot quite describe these illusional body paints as the eye can see them. See for yourself and enjoy the view.
Featured image: Left: Make-up artist Valeriya Kutsan - Photo by Alexander Khokhlov - Image via Feedly.com / Right: Microscopy II - Photo by Robert Gaudette - Image via Nothingpersonaluk.tumblr.com
Slider images: Left: Body Paint - Image via Oddee.com / Right: Body Art Sculpture - Photo by Kim Joon N - Image via Saincesulpice.unblog.fr; One Frog-Five People - Picture by Picture Media - Image via News.com.au
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