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15 Responses to “Painted Bodies”
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This is one of the most fantastic series of photographs that I have ever seen in my life. Certainly the most exciting thing I have seen in years, full stop!
When I look at these, I can only think how dreadful our own culture is, how lackluster, colourless and banal.
Thanks for this experience Josh! I am speechless!
BEAUTIFUL!
Obviously a lot of work by very talented and perceptive artists -but I think an unpainted body is a hard act to follow – this is OK as a novelty, but the unadorned nude body is an irresistible masterpiece all by itself.
What amazing photography of an equally amazing people.
I just read that Hans Silvester spent 10 months with these people in Ethiopia and “came back with a different state of mind and made him think about our civilisation and how everything seems to be taken for granted.”
I have been so moved by this work which I had never seen that I just ordered the 2 volume set of books that have been published of Silvester’s stay in the Omo Valley. What a rare privilege to be able to have an insight into this ancient culture which has set my head spinning.
The beauty of it all is simply overwhelming.
Great Josh!
An amazing art work from higly cultivated & talented artists, using beautiful human body as a canvas. Great taste Josh!
Marshall McLuhan was fond of quoting the Balinese saying “We have no art, we do everything as well as we can.”
I suspect that these people of the Omo Valley have no idea of what “art” is. This is their life, not something set apart at a distance in some meaningless catagory, and it could as well have been our life if we didn’t force ourselves to be so fucked up with idiotic pursuits and values. It’s indeed time for a Revaluation of All Values! It’s long overdue.
I too have ordered the Hans Silverster books.
All thanks to Josh for having revealed this to me! This is one hell of a fucking revelation!
Hold on there buckaroo. “…fucked up with idiotic pursuirts and values.”? Hey, like it or not, our Judeo-Chrisrtian pursuits and values have resulted in that little gem called Western Civilization -undeniably the jewel in the crown of man’s efforts to date. Idiotic pursuits like all the fabulous things that plug in, our advanced medical, agricultural, environmental and general technological capabilities, and values like the whole concept of the worth of the individual, are powerful arguments. As for the arts our idiotic pursuits and values have given us, they take a back seat to no other culture. Been to a museum lately? Or a movie theater? Or a concert? Read a good book? Taken a tour of your local Parade of Homes?
Sure, we’re a long way from geting it all right, and there have been lots of bumps in the road – but I’ll take the trend of steady and regular improvement in civil rights and equality over primitive taboos and painted bodies anyday. Besiders, I’ll bet a lot of OUR arteeests could paint any body better than they can.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing this. This is absolutely beautiful; his work is amazing. I was wondering if anyone could tell me where I can download the song accompanying this post. I’ve looked online and haven’t had much luck finding anything. Thank you!
@youroctober,
“Everyone Alive Wants Answers” can be downloaded at this URL for free:
http://www.filestube.com/b69d6f4f9543841d03e9/details.html#
This shallow advert has nothing to do with the topic in question!
Wonderful work — thank you for posting it.
Hi, I’m taking a moment to write a little more. The images of the body paintings of the Omo are breathtaking and it is wonderful that the photographer has captured these gems. For myself, I find that different cultures offer us inspiration, or places of possibility, that all of us as humans can learn from. It is all too easy to idealize (or villify) another way of life. Omo tribal life is fraught with difficulties and problems — just as our own lives may be. The part of these body paintings that is not portrayed here, although I have seen other photographs that show it, is the interactive nature of the daily painting process. The joy and beauty and creativity of that interaction is visible in these photographs. Take a moment to imagine how these are created. A person cannot decorate their own body in this way — someone else must touch and caress and care about you to paint your body. What a reminder that we all need human interaction that is caring, creative and celebratory.
Stewart
great work!
A wonderful image! It’s a pity the ‘dark flowery fellow’ has his head and limbs out of frame. His face, one surmises, if pictured, would probably reveal a barely post-pubescent lad too young for Western censors to sanction in pictorial entirety. Hence the cropped torso publication. Did he paint himself…all over? And, if he didn’t…THAT LUCKY ARTIST WHO DID?
“That Lucky Artist Who Did?” Apologies!…I, also, was shallow and disrespectful to the culture of those self-expressive body-adorning people.