''Disappearing Model'' is a ''

trompe-l'œil ''Trompe-l'œil'' ( , ; ) is an artistic term for the highly realistic optical illusion of three-dimensional space and objects on a two-dimensional surface. ''Trompe l'oeil'', which is most often associated with painting, tricks the viewer into ...

body painting Body painting is a form of body art where artwork is painted directly onto the human skin. Unlike tattoos and other forms of body art, body painting is temporary, lasting several hours or sometimes up to a few weeks (in the case of mehndi or "h ...

Joanne Gair Joanne Gair (born c. 1958), nicknamed Kiwi Jo (alternatively Kiwi Joe), is a New Zealand-born and -raised make-up artist and body painter whose body paintings have been featured in the ''Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue'' from 1999 to 2017. S ...

that was part of episode 1.19 or 119 of ''

Ripley's Believe It or Not! ''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' is an American franchise founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims. Originally a newspaper panel, the ''Believe It or Not'' feat ...

'', which was the highest-rated episode. The number 119 represents the nineteenth episode of the first season of the show, which aired exclusively on the TBS superstation.

General episode details

The episode was hosted by

Dean Cain Dean George Cain ( Tanaka; born July 31, 1966) is an American actor. From 1993 to 1997, he played Clark Kent / Superman in the TV series '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman''. Cain was the host of ''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' and ...

, and it originally aired on either August 30 or September 6, 2000, depending upon the source. Both

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and

IMDb.com IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, p ...

claim the episode aired on the August date. TBS and ''

Business Wire Business Wire is an American company that disseminates full-text press releases from thousands of companies and organizations worldwide to news media, financial markets, disclosure systems, investors, information web sites, databases, bloggers, s ...

'' sources dated August 31, 2000 announce its

premiere A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its first ...

on the September date. also mirrored at

Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio Conglomerate (company), conglom ...

claims the episode aired on November 15, 2000, but does not clarify whether this was the premiere airing or a

rerun A rerun or repeat is a rebroadcast of an episode of a radio or television program. There are two types of reruns – those that occur during a hiatus, and those that occur when a program is syndicated. Variations In the United Kingdom, the word ...

. The episode had a total of six features.

Gair's role on the episode

Descriptions of the episode describe Gair's notability for her ability to "...make people disappear by painting them right into a background or paint clothing on a human body that is virtually undistinguishable from actual fabric!" More detailed descriptions of the episode describe the origin of Gair's notability as deriving from her production of the '' Vanity Fair'' magazine cover entitled ''

Demi's Birthday Suit ''Demi's Birthday Suit'', or ''The Suit'', was a trompe-l'œil body painting by Joanne Gair photographed by Annie Leibovitz that was featured on the cover of the '' Vanity Fair'' August 1992 issue to commemorate and exploit the success of Leibo ...

'', also known as ''The Suit'', in 1992. During the episode, Gair exhibits body painting that appears to be no-fabric clothing and creates another work that causes the

illusion An illusion is a distortion of the senses, which can reveal how the mind normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. Although illusions distort the human perception of reality, they are generally shared by most people. Illusions may o ...

that a model disappears into the background of a flower print. The 2000 body painting in which the model is indistinguishable from the red, blue and yellow flowers is known as ''Disappearing Model'' and is considered to be Gair's most famous work.

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syndication carried in numerous publication such as and Gair's second book, ''Body Painting: Masterpieces by Joanne Gair'', includes a photo of ''Disappearing Model''. The section credits Tracy Bayne as the photographer of the Russian model Sasha. Gair notes that the show's producer, Gail Smerigan contacted her in 2000 about featuring her work in an episode. The intent was to capture a

photo shoot A photo shoot is the process taken by creatives and models that results in a visual objective being obtained. An example is a Model (person), model posing for a photographer at a studio or an outdoor location. A photo shoot is a series of images ...

specifically designed for the show with the intent of creating the illusion of causing the model to disappear.Gair, Plates section

Notes

References

* {{Joanne Gair 2000 works Body art Nude art Optical illusions