Let's Talk About Body Art - William Shih-Chieh Hung

Let’s Talk About Body Art

William Shih-Chieh Hung

The works of Body Art occupy an important place in the world of Art history. Whether it’s flipping through a book of collection of famous artworks or strolling in a museum, one can see works of Body Art everywhere. In contemporary advertisements or even in pornographic magazines, there are plenty of naked humans too. This can cause great confusions to people’s perception of Body Art; they find it hard to distinguish if they’re either decent or obscene. Such perception also compounds pressure towards artists that were creating Body Art.

The works of Body Art, indecent pornographic visuals, and advertisements—how does one make a distinction between these three? Although it’s difficult to differentiate them, it’s not difficult enough that we can’t talk about their dissimilarities.

Since there are so many genres of commercial advertisements, I will only talk about those pertained to fashion, which is the closest to human body art. Fashion models are treated as tools, used as a framework to support the product. The healthy physique and beautiful figure of a fashion model certainly is valuable and deserving of one’s appreciation, but they’re not top priority. That honor goes to the clothes that he or she is wearing. The peculiar way the fashion models twist their hips and stroll their legs on a catwalk during a fashion exhibition is not commonly seen every day. If for instance your significant other decides to imitate a fashion model’s movement completely, it will drive you insane. Generally speaking, the postures and movements of a professional model are pure contorted exaggeration, lacking the leisurely comfort of our daily living.

The main goal of pornography is to arouse excitement through sexually stimulating visuals. The expressions, postures, and movements of the models all aim for maximum physical exposure. In pornography, whether it’s photography or painting, nothing is hidden. Pornographic magazine readers will only garner unhealthy thoughts from it. Nevertheless, these kinds of periodicals are staggeringly popular. But what’s so good about them? I haven’t dwelt deep into them so I would rather not comment.

The body art paintings that were drawn by painters not only convey the human subject’s outer beauty, they also reveal the inner beauty within us. Browsing works of Body Art can subtly and sensitively achieve a sense of appreciation that is both wholesome and sophisticated, and makes one recognize the value of self-beauty, cultivate a passion for humanity, and adore the feelings of living life. There are no twisting, contorting exaggerations here, and lowbrow humor is nonexistent. Authentic body art paintings will immerse you in the positive energy of nature, and make you long for a peaceful, beautiful life.

Beauty is in all things nature, but the human body is the most beautiful of all. It is fair to say that Caucasian women are privileged to have skin color that is as pure as white jade and a curved yet voluptuous body figure. Therefore, it’s a pity that they also tend to age early and easily, as age spots gradually appear on their skin, making it looser and rougher. Their curvy, well-rounded figure also quickly gives way to a more gaunt and ragged appearance. That is why Caucasians cherish and boost up their youth so much. Their women dare to show off their bare naked bodies and are proud of it. Artists are more sensitive towards beauty than others, so they have a strong sense of empathy and melancholy with regards to youth that, once lost, will never return. They strive for preserving humankind’s eternal beauty in their works. This explains why the sculptures of Greece and Rome, along with paintings from countries around the world over the centuries, are filled with large amounts of works pertained to Body Art.

Commercial advertisements and pornography rely mainly on photography as their methods of expression, so they are very different from paintings and should not be compared equally. Successful works of photography have extremely high artistic values and should not be underestimated. The human figures in paintings were created by the painters’ brushes. No one is born perfect, but painters can gather ideas from their many models and create a classic one. They can also go beyond external beauty and express inner beauty in their works, thus allowing the onlookers to enter an infinite world of imagination through their finite drawings.

Furthermore, the styles of the brush strokes and the use of color can also have a very high value of appreciation. Years of technique, skills and experience amassed by the painter are apparent on the paintings themselves. When you realize that every color and every line on the painting in front of you are derived from the bare hands of the painter, your feelings of appreciation will ascend to an even higher level, and will judge the true worth of works of art from a more historical perspective.

I don’t feel I should critique and analyze my own paintings, because creation is creation, and appreciation is like recreation, and opinions differ. I wish to learn from observers of my work.

EDITOR’S NOTE

Renowned Chinese oil canvas painter Shih-Chieh HUNG was born in the city of Jieyang in Canton Province, China in 1928. He is currently a certified member of the American Portrait Artists Association. His works have been featured in the DIRECTORY OF AMERICAN PORTRAIT ARTISTS, COLLECTIONS OF INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY ART, ENCYCLOPEDIA OF LIVING ARTISTS IN AMERICA and other publications. His name was listed in the DIRECTORY OF INTERNATIONAL DISTINGUISHED PEOPLE, published by Britain’s Cambridge International Biography Center. His works were featured for the first time in China at the city of Shantou this past February and it was a huge success. The exhibition received extensive coverage in the YANGCHENG EVENING NEWS, SHANTOU DAILY, and seven other newspapers and one magazine. The television network in the Chiu Chow and Shantou areas also featured the exhibition repeatedly. It was generally believed that Hung has brought honor and fame to his home country.