ART R101 Art Appreciation

MACK / Fall 2017 / CRN 71481

Body Art Guide

The term "body art" refers to art that uses the human body as a medium or surface. Forms of
body art include body painting, inking (tattooing), scarification, piercing, and body
modification.

Body art is among the earliest and most common forms of art. Evidence for body painting and
art using human remains (skulls) dates at least as far back as the Neolithic period (around 8000
BCE). We can trace tattooing to the beginning of the Bronze Age (around 3200 BCE), and
forms of body modification to classical antiquity (3rd century BCE). Many forms of body art
survived among traditional societies in the Americas, Africa, and Oceania; many also were
cultivated among the complex societies of Asia, including China, Japan, and India.

Tattooing is the most common form of body art in the modern Western world, and appears to
have derived from European "discovery" of inking practices in the South Pacific islands
("tattoo" comes from the Polynesian tatau, meaning "to write"). This is one reason tattooing
(in the modern West) has long been associated with sailors. It is only very recently that
tattooing has become a widespread and accepted form of body art among the general
population. Its acceptance has been accompanied by increased exploration of other forms of
body art, in particular piercing and body modification.

For more information about body art, see these resources:

A good introduction to types of body art and their histories is this Smithsonian
article: http://anthropology.si.edu/outreach/anthnote/Winter01/anthnote.html
An interview with a leading scholar of the history of tattooing around the
world: http://www.oercommons.org/courses/art-history-wiki/view#
Article on some of the earliest tattoos discovered (Scythian, 5th c.
BCE): http://siberiantimes.com/culture/others/features/siberian-princess-reveals-her-
2500-year-old-tattoos/
A case study of contemporary tattooing in the US (Richmond,
VA): https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/exhibit/wQx72HUG

As with any other art form, tattooing has its traditions and acknowledged master artists. The
three short videos listed below explore the history of Japanese tattooing, the relationship of
Asian and Western tattooing, contemporary tattooing in the US and three masters: Horiyoshi,
Jimmy Ho, and Grime:
Video on Japanese tradition of tattooing and Horiyoshi:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy6rdkBC13Y

Video on modern history of tattooing in Hong Kong and Jimmy Ho:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-I6JsL54uc

Video on contemporary tattoo artist Grime:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_vmoW9QU2c

In this module, you will watch these three videos and reflect on what they teach us about
tattoo art.