4400-3100 BCE

Cosmetic pigment

• Green malachite, 4400-4000 BCE
• They used palettes of siltstone
• applying prepared pigments to paint their faces.
• Green from ground malachite,
• the color of fertility and resurrection.
• Their eternal paradise was the Field of Malachite;
• this was the realm of Osiris, the god with green skin.
• Cinnabar, 4000-3100 BCE
• Red for the blood of Isis,
• red for the fire and anger of Set,
• red for the firey aspect of Sekhmet.
• Hematite, red jaspar, carnelian, cinnabar
• would be ground to rouge their lips and cheeks.
• How soon did they know
• the mercury in cinnabar was toxic?
• Antimony, 3100 BCE
• They made a powder of stibnite,
• adding things like ochre, malachite, burnt almonds,
• used it to paint around their eyes.
• From paintings on the walls of tombs
• the eyes grab our attention.
• Eye liner, eye shadow, almond eyes.

Cosmetics with pigments

• Face painting for warriors and children
• Lipstick, mascara, eye shadow, rouge, blush
• modeled by women who don’t need it to look beautiful
• Hair dye, nail polish
• expressions of individuality
• Henna, genipapo, tattoo, body painting
• can express tradition, individuality, artistic freedom
• or serve as an insect repellent
• Mime, clown, blackface, stage makeup, cosplay
• much of our lives is fantasy anyway
• Military camouflage face paints, eye black for athletes
• can save a life, or like any superstition,
• act as an insurance policy against the fates.

Natural canvas

• Any natural thing with a power to move people
• can be used for selfish and destructive purposes.
• If people are not manipulating their environment,
• they are at least being manipulated by manipulated environments.
• Who doesn’t appreciate grace and beauty?
• Who wouldn’t be willing to borrow a fallen feather,
• or hang precious stones from neck or earlobes,
• or paint a beauty mark to the right of the nose?
• Isn’t cosmetics a form of artistic expression
• whose canvas is an innocent as a smile?