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There are many forms of art in today’s society, all ranging in a wide variety of intricacy and complexity. From performing arts, there is also interpretive arts and the classic hand molding and paint brush wielding type of art. Most art is easily distinguished, but there’s another form that has been bubbling to the surface for quite some time now and that art form is tattooing. Though many disagree that this is an actual art form, most often times, people determine tattooing as a “rite of passage,” for when a person turns 18 at the very least, but are tattoos, truly considered an art?
The trend of tattooing grew rapidly as a rebellious act in the early 80’s, however, tattooing actually dates back much further. The earliest record of tattoos was discovered back in 1991 on “the frozen remains of the Copper Age Iceman; scientists have named ‘Ötzi.’ His lower back, ankles, knees, and a foot were marked with a series of small lines, made by rubbing powdered charcoal into vertical cuts,” (Barbajosa, 2004). Despite the change in meaning or purpose for receiving a tattoo, it seems that there is sentimental value and the expression of self regardless of how times have changed. Five-thousand years ago, when the Ötzi’s tattoos were discovered, anthropologists perceived the meaning of his tattoos to be a symbol of accomplishment and an earned position in the community or even population. When a young adult turns 18, it’s a rite of passage to receive a tattoo, so the purpose is still there; however, having a purpose for a tattoo does not make it art.
Art by definition is “the expression or application of creative skill and imagination, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power,” (Hacker, 2011). In Cassa...
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...ting an emotional/spiritual connection and without the ability to preserve, or maintain value over time, the trend of tattooing cannot be considered real art.
Works Cited
Barbajosa, Cassandra. "Tattoo: Pigments of Imagination." National Geographic.
(2004): n. page. Web. 16 Feb. 2014. .
"Hacker." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, 2011.Web. 13 May 2014.
Jones, Jonathan . "Tattooing: Eye Catching- but are they art?." Guardian 23 September 2011, n. pag. Web. 16 Feb. 2014. .
Randall, Emily. "Tattooing Makes Transition From Cult to Fine Art." New York Times 08 May
2013, n. pag. Web. 16 Feb. 2014. .
Body modifications, with the focus of tattoos, have existed in our society for centuries and the way in which it is perceived has changed somewhat over the years, yet certain dishonors still remain our modern day. Like most body modifications, tattoos are an often misunderstood form of body modification. Despite the stigmas, tattoos have become a unique object of desire to endless diverse groups of people. But are the popular assumptions of tattoos out of sync with the true meaning behind them? Further explanation and exploration of the history will reveal the social and cultural practices of tattooing and the causal connection between the mind and the tattooed body, in addition to providing answers as to why tattoos stimulate uneasiness and curiosity and create a challenge to discursive practices.
The visual aspects of tattoos have changed and evolved enormously since the days of Sailor Jerry, and it is one of the things that excites me the most. There are so many more styles now that it would be impossible to just do Old School tattoos. This means that I will be learning many more styles of the art form and hopefully creating a few of my own. Visually, anything that can be put on paper can now be put into skin. While I am not tattooing yet, w...
Society’s outlook on “what’s in” changes every day, from what’s hot to what’s not. Fads repeat themselves over time and grow to be something that everyone now loves. Tattoos are the main trending thing of this century. They were once only a symbolism for criminals, sailors, prostitutes, and bikers, but now tattooing is mainstream in today’s times. Tattoos are seen as works of arts and your body is the canvas for aspiring tattoo artist. Nowadays there is such a wide variety of tattoos with different meanings, such as, a hand print of a loved one to someone’s favorite quote or bible verse. Some tattoos don’t always have to have meaning behind it. Anyone can decorate their body simply because they want meaningless, but artsy and funny tattoos. Inking up is becoming a significant part of someone’s life whether there is a meaning behind the tattoo or not, it is a growing thing to do and it doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.
What is tattooing? Tattooing is a form of art that’s displayed on the human body. In fact, it is the oldest form of art known to man. Tattooing involves permanent, creative words and images. Some modern tattoos are quite simple while other tattooing is very complicated. Many different images can be a tattoo like a simple flower and cartoon characters to more ornate portraits and scenes. A professional tattoo artist is a person that applies tattoos onto individuals. Tattoo artists may also perform other body part modifications such as piercings and brandings.
Due to the popular demand for tattoos, these rules do little to discourage the inmates from getting more tattoos. Within the prison subculture, a good tattoo artist is held in high regard” (PAPA).
Kosut, M. (2006). An Ironic Fad: The Commodification And Consumption Of Tattoos. The Journal of Popular Culture, 39(6), 1035-1048. Retrieved November 29, 2013, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5931.2006.00333.x
Starting off as juices and markings, tattoos were nothing more than ways of identification and personalization. Rubbing juices extracted from plants onto your face and arms is the most notable to people. Also using bone needles and pigments to tattoo in a more modern fashion was common. Ancient descendants used what they had and although it wasn’t painless and easy, it worked.
Tattooing is the art of marking the skin with indelible patterns, pictures, or legends by making pricks and inserting colored ink. The word itself has its origins in the South Pacific. The art had been referred to as pricking, scarring, or staining until explorer Captain James Cook encountered the indigenous peoples of Tahiti. (Wilkinson 6)
“The impact on the world today through the history and visual reasoning behind tattoos, lead to the inquiry of personal life changing experiences.
What is art? According Merriam Webster's online dictionary, the definition of art is, “the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power” (“art”). Even though art has been defined, there are still some works questioned by society around the world. For example, a child creates an image with chalk on the sidewalk. Is this art?
It isn 't uncommon to see people walking around with tattoos permanently stained on their body. It is also uncommon to know that they usually have a meaning. From Chinese symbols to images devoted to the flying spaghetti monster, people love to keep these tattoos to remind them of a message or a special someone. According to the World Book Advanced Dictionary, a tattoo is "to mark (the skin) with designs or patterns by pricking a line of holes and putting in colors. ' ' And the meaning of an individual 's tattoo can vary depending on where you are. In this essay, I will discuss contrasting elements in prison and in tribal tattoos. This will be done by doing a cross sectional study of their history, meaning and methods. Are prison and tribal tattoos similar or different?
Jun'ichirō, Tanizaki. “The Tattooer”. 603-102-04 Eastern Literature. Jeffrey Fyfe. Toronto, ON: CSPI – Coursepack, 2012. Print
...patronage to a belief. Through time the tattoo has been plagued with rising fear that those who receive them will automatically become an outcast of the social order. The fear of body art is calming in the general public’s eyes and whether it is a biker or a school teacher with one they are beginning to be looked at as the same. The rising population of those getting tattoos has directly leaded to the rising population of those accepting them. It took a while for cultural opinion of tattoos to swing from taboo to standard practices of people from all races, ethnicities, ages, and genders. Time has granted the sanctioned onslaught of bad looks, and snubbed noses to slowly die down and natural acceptance of body ink to be granted. It is not just the crazy neighbor next door with a tattoo but the respected doctor up the street or your Sunday school teacher at church.
Just as art has different styles such as classical or gothic, tattooing encompasses many different styles as well. Some tattoo artists are very famous and command a hefty price tag for their artistic expression. People travel many miles, sometimes around the globe in search of a specific tattoo artist. Creating true fine art quality tattoos really depends on the artistic freedom given to the tattooist by the subject being worked on. If there is little freedom, they become a carbon copy machine, copying stencils and other artist’s work.
Should Graffiti Be Considered Art? On average 30 million dollars are spent in a year to clean graffiti. No “form of art” is worth spending millions to get rid of. Graffiti is drawings made from scribing or painting in a public place.