Body-painting

A young girl getting her face painted at Cirque du Soleil

Red ochre, a very ancient type of body paint.

Body-painting (also body painting and bodypainting) is when special colors are applied to a human's skin. The colors used are temporary. Depending on the color used, paintings last between a few hours, and a few weeks.

Body-painting can be done for various reasons. Examples are:

• to make a work of art
• to camouflage one's body
• to act in some traditional theatre
• to take part in some traditional ceremony
• to party, to create a sensation

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  Blacklight body painting

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  Three saddhus at Kathmandu Durbar Square

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  Kadakali painting

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  Huli man from Papua New Guinea

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  Reproduction of Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night as body painting by Danny Setiawan

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  Girls at the World Cup 2006

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  A soldier with a painted face for camouflage