The human body has been featured in paintings ages ago and used effectively as a canvas on which art is presented. It is an interesting concept and makes a beautiful medium to display almost any pattern or design that can be simple yet elegant. If you enjoy art, erotic art or seeing the human canvas through body painting, this article will surely amaze you.

Acting as a kind of artistic camouflage, the paintings are applied directly to the models’ bodies and match perfectly with the backgrounds. The bodies are not completely hidden in the patterns but become a part of them that allow the background to flow beautifully. As such, the bodies look infinitely soft and fragile without being over-sexualized.

Australian artist Emma Hack, who stands out as a skin illustrator, photographer and sculptor, revealed her stylized version of body paintings in 1999 that won her instant fame in the art world. Emma Hack’s latest collection focuses on the human body and its environment. Her paintings merge the human body seamlessly with the wallpaper designs of Florence Broadhurst, resulting in an illusory and stunning images of nude humanity on natural and elegant patterns.

At times, such intricate designs will take up to 19 hours to apply. It is definitely a challenge to paint organic shapes and flowers onto canvas as it is flat. While painting on bare skin, the artist has to make sure that the floral subject matches the canvas it is presented on. With the right time and depth, the artist has the ability to make the images appear life-like with each design accentuating the beauty and grace of the human form.

Each piece of body painting that is featured here, is on its own, a unique work of art. They are bound to play with your imagination so that you will not stop to admire the beauty that lies within them. (All photos courtesy of Flickr)