Face painting has come a long way since human history began. Obviously, it is difficult to pin down the origin and exactly when face and body painting began, although some claimed that Native Americans were the ones who started this art.
Wikipedia, however, offers some ideas. Since ancient times, it has been used for traditional ceremonies, warfare, hunting, religious motifs, and military purposes (such as facial camouflage). In popular culture during the hippie movement of the late 1960s, it was common for young women to decorate their cheeks with flowers at special events. At the same time, there were those who painted symbols of peace on their faces during anti-war demonstrations.
In the 1980s, face painting made its way into professional wrestling shows. Popular wrestlers like The Ultimate Warrior, Road Warrior Hawk, and Doink the Clown used this art to create unique character dressings that literally rocked the wrestling world. To date, some WWE Superstars still wear face paint designs to dramatically increase the visual impact of their characters.
In recent decades, face painting has been a common sight at carnivals, private parties, street and paid shows, and large open-air markets (especially in Europe and America). Besides that, it is also very popular with children at birthday parties, theme parks, and seasonal festivals throughout the Western world in particular. Although most face painting activities are geared towards young children, many adults enjoy having them painted, especially at special events like charity fundraisers.
I remember when I was a kid, circus performances were quite common. This group of artists travels from country to country with their herds of animals and large boxes of tools and gadgets to entertain the crowd. Those were the times before we had cable TV or HBO. One of the most entertaining performances when watching the circus was when the clown appeared to delight the crowd. Most of these professional clowns had to paint their faces. Fortunately, they had a fairly straightforward and straightforward design.
Whatever the origin or history of face painting, this beautiful art is here to stay.
Enjoy!
