What is the first thing that springs to mind when you think about art? Is it drawings on a piece of paper, or paintings hung on the wall? Maybe it is sculptures or even digital art. If that is the case, you are forgetting an important aspect right under your nose: yourself.
Art is not confined to what is just man-made but also includes what comes naturally. It’s a tale as old as time. Art began with a body, from stick figures in a secluded cave to the Mona Lisa displayed for all, humans have always been an inspiration to artists.
It is through the art of mimesis, which is using a subject as your model, you are able to re-present the subject in a different way. Humans are like a muse to an artists as they recreate people though paintings, drawings, and sculptures. Ancient Greece was famous for this due to their human-like statues as they were able to perfectly recreate body proportions. Not only did they idolize the human body, but were able to capture emotions to make their statues more human-like.
Currently, the human body is still an inspiration to aspiring artists today.
“It is one of the most studied subjects over time,” art teacher Jay Langone said. “When you look at any time period, people, for as long as they have existed, are an art subject. I pursued art because of my fascination to create something from nothing.”
Art is the creation of imagination, and the way you see things is the only limit to what you can create. Many people use the human form as an inspiration to create art. The human form can be the main subject in an art piece. Each person on this planet is different from one another, from their physical appearance to their DNA. There is only one you to ever exist as you are. Your differences make you stand out. The trick is not hating a part of yourself which differentiates you from the rest.
“When I was younger I wasn’t very fond of my freckles and would try to cover them up with makeup, but I realized when people would comment on them and call them pretty that they weren’t a bad trait,” junior Azora Parks said. “As I’ve gotten older I’ve appreciated them more and now they’re a part of me and my identity.”
Your differences don’t undermine your natural beauty as they define who you are. Every part of you is unique in your own way because your DNA is special. It is the layout of who you are and nobody could ever match it but yourself.
Philosophers like Plato believe forms to be beautiful. The human forms are naturally beautiful as they are, but there are people who are able to enhance their beauty through self expression.
One of the ways people could express themselves is through makeup, especially with special effects makeup. People use it for fun and to alter their natural appearance.
“It takes around 30 minutes to around 2 hours,” junior Grace Dancer said. “It just depends what I want to do.”
It takes a while for these individuals to create those bloody and gory scenes from horror movies and even make themselves look younger or older than they seem. They make the impossible look possible while having fun in the process.
“I love doing the special effects makeup because it’s something that I’m actually good at and became good at faster than most things I’ve tried,” Dancer said.
Another form of self expression is through dying your hair. From changing your natural hair color to one natural look to another or even going for unnatural colors shows a persons’ personality. They are able to feel comfortable in what they look like as they are in control.
“I dye my hair because I don’t like it brown,” junior Samantha Wilson. “I also dye it because it’s fun. It’s different and makes me different.”
Some people get so tired of seeing their same hair color that they decide to change things up to make it more fun for themselves.
“I just don’t want to be basic,” senior Aux Rooney. “I want to stand out in a crowd plus I get bored super easily and I had dark hair for 13 years at that point and every other person I knew had black hair so freshman year was the time to switch it up.”
Dying your hair is like a fashion statement, uniquely your own style defining who you are as you.
Then there are people who permanently decorate their body, making it a literal art piece.
One of those ways is piercings as it helps enhance personal style. After getting a piercing some people love it so much that they want more because they enjoy how they look.
“Well my first one was my eye brow and I got that one because when my dad was alive he had the same one, the other ones I really just enjoyed, so I got them,” junior Isabelle Lowe said.
Body modifications will never change your character just because it does not meet society’s standards. Your body is your own and you can make it your very own work of art.
Then there are people who use their body as an actual canvas and fill it up with tattoos. The art of decorating your body is either for fun or has a significant meaning towards themselves.
“Hiraeth is a distinct feeling of missing something irretrievably lost and it’s a tattoo I have on my forearm,” senior Alivia Craw said.
Your body is like a storybook with tattoos telling the story.
Artists Bob Ross believed every single one of us has a hidden artists, and your body is proof of that.
Humans are like a canvas, each unique and different in their own way. A work of art, becoming a masterpiece as you age, as you are the artists dictating the change.
