Source: Poblano

We might regard body painting as a relatively new art form, but in reality it is a practice shared throughout many cultures and across time. Be it tribal painting rituals, henna tattoos or a morning makeup routines, the human body has historically presented itself as an apt canvas for personal expression.

In the West, most of our knowledge on the subject begins and ends with clowns painting animals on kids’ faces at birthday parties. But artists like Guido Daniele take the process to the next level. Daniele doesn’t paint animals on human skin so much as he uses paint to transform people into the animals in question.

Source: Mo Illusions

Source: TMAR

Daniele was born in Soverato, Italy. In 1972, he graduated from Brera School of Arts, where he majored in sculpture. From there, he attended the Tankas school in Dharamsala, India until 1974. Daniele has taken on a variety of subjects in his work and promoted them through multiple channels, like advertising, housing murals and set designs. Hand animals, or “handimals”, as he calls them, are his specialty. It is through this medium that Daniele has become something of an institution in the body art world. Some of his designs are so true to form that viewers often have difficulty distinguishing Daniele’s hand-animals from the real thing.

Source: For Wallpaper

Source: Guido Daniel

Source: Guido Daniele

Source: Slideshare

Source: Tumblr

Most of Daniele’s works follow the same simple principle – one hand, one animal. However, some of his more ambitious projects require two or more people to come together for a successful execution.

Source: Slideshare

Source: Demilked

Source: Guido Daniele

Source: Guido Daniele

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