The Body Canvas

The Human Body as a Medium of Art
First Online: December 8, 2001
Page Last Updated: August 20, 2024

Everybody knows Leonardo Da Vinci painted human bodies. But not everybody knows that  Indians, for centuries, have used the human body as a medium of art and religious expression. Many of these forms such as the Nama (daily body paitings), Vibhuti (sacred ash) and the Mangalya (the red dot worn by Indian women) have origins in the Hindu rituals. Other forms of body art found in India such as Henna (temporary tattoos), tattoos, body piercing, are very prevalent and are complied here for a pictorial exhibit.

Table of Contents

• Ash Covered Face of a Fortune Teller
• Declaring Religious Allegiance
• Fashionable Daughter of the Jungle
• The Henna Art of the Feet of a Bride
• The Henna Tattoo on the Palms of a Bride
• Horizontal and Vertical Markings
• Man Gets a Tattoo by Roadside
• Painted Face of a Devotee
• Sacred Body Art
• "Sumangali" -- Portrait of a Traditional Indian Woman
• Tattoo of a Tribal Woman
• Tattoos of a Tribal Woman
• Tattoos of the Baiga Tribe
• When the Ear Speaks

See Also:

• The Significance of the Holy Dot
• The Living Arts
• Kamasutra: Use of Nails in Lovemaking