by Editor Colin Dixon 
Edited and published by Yvette Depaepe, the 22nd of February 2023

Masks as a metaphor, mask as defence, Mask, Masque, Masquerade.

'Dark Passion' by Petko Petkov

Masks or blindfolds have been a staple of portrait photography since the start of the medium, offering photographers an interesting way to add character and create unique looks for their subject. In this article, we'll explore the history of masks and the use of masks in portrait and art nude photography

Masks have been with us for aeons and have spawned many contradictions. They have been worn for display or for disguise. They have been worn to woo or to wage war. They have been worn to hide or to identify. They have been used to protect or to punish.

Masks have been found as old as 9000 years old, The Neolithic masks of Judea, and probably used well before that. They were also used through the Greek and Roman Empires as ornamentation, in war, in fashion, seduction and anonymity .

They were heavily used in the Renaissance to hide the identity and to entertain, especially in Venice at the Carnival which has been around as a form of entertainment from the 1600’s until the present day. Many photographers now visit the Venice Carnival to help them create art.

Cultural Masks

Masking faces is still a huge part of modern life in cultures and Religions around the world.

'Face off' by Mikhail Potapov

'Veil' by Morteza Salehi

'Angeline..!!!' by Alfredo Sanchez

n/t by Joxe Inazio Kuesta Garmendia

'Teyyam Ceremony Performer – Kannur – India' by Joxe Inazio Kuesta Garmendia

'Girl Suri' by Svetlin Yosifov

Other types of masks

Protective

Disguise

Occupational

Sports

Punishment

Fashion

War

Ornamentation

Performance

Pandemic.

Of course we have all had good reason to wear masks over the last few years for medical reasons and even though masks have been around for as long as man it was still very controversial to some people around the world but it was a great opportunity for photographers and is now a snapshot of time. 

'The World in Fear' by Peter Davidson

'Mask' by Tori Zhu

'Pandemic' by Aylin Erozcan

Masks used for Anonymity.

A mask conceals something from view. It can be worn to cover all or part of the face: to disguise, hide, protect, amuse or frighten others. It may also be something we metaphorically wear to present ourselves to the world but use to hide what we really think or feel.

Masquerading

The metaphor of wearing masks is not new, as we have seen and we wear them to protect our vulnerable inner true selves. We also need to fit in with society and so wear masks that project social conformance.

Masks can be used to lie, hiding our true selves, with the purpose of protection and acceptance but also to deceive.  In fact some people today use the internet as a mask to conceal their real inner selves and conceal their identity,just as they did in the 1600’s in Venice.

'Masks of the past meet the mask of the present' by Colin Dixon

Photography

Portrait photography is used to capture the beauty and mystery of a person's face, but using a blindfold or mask can create even more mystery. The same goes for art nude photography by helping with anonymity of the subject.

Masks are used by photographers in many ways and nearly always help to create a depth to an image that is not there when we can see the face or the eyes. The mystery of the person behind the mask is timeless throughout our history and into the future.

Many of our 1x photographers have used this to great effect.

'check' by Ambra

'a r t' by Ruth Franke

'Mystery' by Jacco Zwarst

'The papillon' by Peppe Tambè

'Photographer II' by Robert Strahinjic

'Throne' by Aurimas Valevicius

'Free Spirit' by Catchlight Studio

'Anonymous Beauty' by Thomas Fisher

'The Man and the Rose' by Petri Damstén

'Golden Lights at Venice Nights' by Barak Shacked

'Chicken song' by kenp