Also known as the oldest Chalcolithic (Copper Age) European human natural mummy, which has been found to date in Europe. His remains and personal belongings are exhibited at the South Tyrol Archaeological Museum in Bolzano, South Tyrol, Italy. Ötzi was found on September 19, 1991 by two German tourists 3,210 m (10,530 feet) at the height Fineilspitze the eastern ridge of Ötztal Alps on the Austrian-Italian border.
Starting our digital journey behind the scenes of Japanese tattooing, we searched for historical evidence of antiquity to confirm today's traditional Japanese tattooing culture, what came up! Read for yourself :) Tattooing for spiritual and decorative purposes is believed to have been practiced on Japan’s archipelago in the Jomon or Paleolithic period (around 10,000 BC). It has been suggested that the characteristically with string-marked patterns observed on the faces and bodies of figures from this time period are tattoos, but this claim is not unanimously accepted.
Confucius once said: "The hair and skin of the body are received from the parents, do not dare to destroy, the son's piety to the beginning." Tattoos in the central plains were once considered a serious disregard for one's parental heritage and a great act of inhuman behavior. Despite the expression of this revered and respected Chinese thinker, the art of tattooing has been known in China for thousands of years. Tattooing in China is called Ci Shen (or Wen Shen), which literally means “piercing the body”. Although this art has been known in China for a long time, it has mostly been an unusual and unpopular practice.
For these people, religion is closely related to the concept of magic, health and good luck. Tattoo in Thai, means Yant, derived from the Sanskrit word yantra, meaning mystical diagrams. The script used for Yantra designs varies. The script pronounces the shortened syllables of the Pali magic words. Depending on culture and geography. In Cambodia and central Thailand is used an old Khmer script of the Khmer Empire.
Our Monday began with this informative sentence. "The origins of Polynesian island tattooing are to be found in the archipelago of islands in the Philippines." A reader of our series sent the following opinion, which we are not at liberty to disregard. Going to the Philippines - in search of the origins of tattooing :)
So, at the moment, our journey into the origins of tattooing in Polynesia has not confirmed that this form of art originated on any of the islands. Evidence in Petroglyphs, notes preserved by European explorers, and oral narratives of the Polynesians themselves attest to the fact of their arrival, which created a new tradition and culture of tattooing. In 2017, a canoe named “Hokulea” completed a world-wide voyage using only ancient shipping methods.
For Europeans, the civilizations of Oceania are divided into 3 major parts, by which we still label them today as very similar and diametrically different. Polynesians, Micronesians and Melanesians. Cultural differences affect not only language, but also body painting, tattooing culture.
The ultimate origins of Polynesian culture are still debated, and this also applies to the concept of tattooing. Southeast Asia and, in turn, Polynesia are sub-regions of Oceania consisting of a large group of over 1000 islands scattered across the central and southern Pacific Ocean in a triangle that includes New Zealand, Hawaii and Easter Island at its corners. While each culture of the Polynesian islands had its own dynamic tattooing traditions, it is possible to touch on each practice, but there are many similarities between them.
Let us begin our journey and search for the origins of tattooing with the Polynesian Triangle, the smallest and most distant island, with Easter Island.
In eighth-century England, the month of April was called Eosturmonath, or the month of Eostre, after the goddess Eostre. The English term is derived from the Saxon spring festival Eostre. Saint Bede the Venerable, author of the 6th-century Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum ("Ecclesiastical History of the English People"), claims that the English word "Easter" comes from Eostre or Eostrae, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and springtime. Other historians believe that the word "Easter" comes from in albis, a Latin phrase meaning alba or "dawn" in the plural, which in Old High German became eostarum, the forerunner of modern English.
The oldest known physical evidence of tattooing in North America were obtained from the discovery of a frozen, mummified Inuit woman in St. Lawrence. Iceland, Alaska, who had tattoos on her skin. Using tissue radioactive carbon dating, scientists estimated that the woman came from 16th century.
For 3 million years, the Central Americas isthmus has been both a barrier and a bridge, separating two vast oceans and connecting two huge continents. The northern areas of Central America were inhabited by the indigenous people of Mesoamerica. The most prominent of these were the Mayans, who had built many cities throughout the region. Before them, the Olmecs had rooted in many traditions and pyramids. The Olmec civilization, dating back to 1200 B.C. and perhaps earlier, is the mother culture of Mesoamerica. The Olmec roots are believed to have the early farming cultures of Tabasco, dating from 5100 BC to 4600 BC. Little is known about the Olmecs, and they remain a mysterious civilization. They are known to have laid many of the foundations for all subsequent Mesoamerican cultures, such as the Mayan and Aztec cultures. In Nahuatl, the language used by Aztec, they were called Ōlmēcatl. The word ōlli means “rubber” and mēcatl means “people”. Thus, the term can be translated as "rubber people".
The traditional style of tattooing as we know it today began to appear on the bodies of sailors in the 18th-20th centuries. An expression of the art of tattooing quickly spread throughout the world, becoming one of the largest mass art movements in history. These early tattoos were often crudely made with homemade needles and ink, and were often seen as signs of rebellion or defiance. Sailors tattooed themselves with iconic symbols such as anchors, skulls, swallows and snakes, which they believed would protect them from dangers at sea.
The truth is simple - an artist without inspiration = 0, it is self-evident for artist, but the consumer and the viewer + You all the time ask for a fresh and new concept, tattoo art is no exception :)
Comics, cartoons, and animation characters where memories come to life in this style, also known as cartoons. Fans of the genre who want to physically express their passion for certain characters and series often tattoo them. Cartoon character tattoos make us feel happy, carefree and nostalgic and can bring us back to the carefreeness of youth.
"The ability to tell a story and make thought-provoking comments with just a few fragments of color is an artistic feat" With Pop Art - similar :)
The watercolor art form, that is known with its fluidity and vivid hues, has been well-liked among artists for centuries. This style, which origin is East Asia, eventually spread to the Western world, gaining popularity for its ability to capture light and movement in a special volatile form. Artists began experimenting with different tattooing techniques and styles. Today it seems, that watercolor tattoos take on a new spike and popularity, it by no means a new style. In the 1960s, this style was also popular, using the same color mixtures and bright color palettes to give the tattoo a more abstract feel without bringing out the essence of watercolors. In the eighties marked the beginning of a real era of watercolor tattoos.
Simulated brush stroke to create some exceptionally stunning works on skin. Brush tattoo world is a distinctive art form, which is located at development and tradition modernity crossroads. Here we are talking about craftsmanship and artistry that shows the intricate layers of this tattoo style :) Embracing oneself the brushstroke and calligraphy nuances, the principle of fluidity, the role of lines and the forms of color. For this reason, brushstroke works are among the most difficult patterns to imitate in tattooing.
Imagine a two-dimensional image that transforms into a dynamic and quite realistic tattoo. A skilled tattoo artist, by manipulating with shading, highlights and negative space and using a clever drawing technique, can create captivating and profound dimensional illusions on Your skin. All this to deceive your perception :) Your eyes will do the rest and perceive a three-dimensional object or 3D tattoo idea, in accordance with the performance.
I.n.t.e.r.e.s.t.i.n.g. Your eyes are astonishing organs. Did you know that if You have blue eyes, You share a common ancestor with every other blue-eyed person on the planet? That's because blue eyes are a genetic mutation that appeared more than 6,000 years ago. All humans originally had brown eyes.
The process of hand poking originated with the first people, in different cultures and communities it was slightly different, but about it all You can read in detail in our section on the history of tattooing.
Biomechanical tattoos consist of components that are connected under the surface of the skin and are displayed in a maximally 3D format.
Steampunk is a phenomenon that began as a literary movement in the 1980s and has evolved into an art genre, cultural movement, a style and subculture that is undeniably reflected in tattooing. Although steampunk is considered as a fusion of Victorian aesthetic principles with modern sensibilities and technology, it can be more broadly classified as neo-Victorianism, which scholar Marie Louise Kolke described as "the nineteenth-century afterlife in the cultural imagination"
To draw and/or redraw are two different things that confirm or deny the talent of a true artist. Tattooists also aren’t an exception :) Freehand tattooing is considered one of the most difficult tattooing techniques to be learned, as it requires a lot of practice and artistic talent to without mistakes to create a unique piece on Your skin.
One of the ancient flowers, that has only become more gorgeous today and is currently represented in more than 150 varieties and shades. The first written evidence date back to 3000 BC. The rose is the national flower of the USA, it was declared as such in 1986 by the then American president R. Reagan.
The symbol of the heart is universally recognized as a representation of love, passion and emotions. From the ancient world to the modern era, the image of the heart has been used to depict love, passion and emotions. The origins of heart paintings can be traced back to the ancient world, where they were used as symbols of love, fertility and rebirth. For example, the ancient Greeks used the image of a heart to represent the goddess Aphrodite, who was the goddess of love, beauty and sexuality. Similarly, in Ancient Egypt, it was believed that the heart is the abode of the soul and was used in religious ceremonies and rituals.
The last sign of our existence is our own skull, which is the last to decompose and consists of a total of 22 interconnected bones. Perhaps that's why the charm of such a tattoo is pure residue ...? These tattoos can represent both positive and negative, good and evil, as well as life and death. For the most part, skulls represent some positive aspect that stems from the negative. Now about skulls in turn:
This year, on January 28, according to the Chinese calendar, the year of the dragon (Year of the Green Tree Dragon) began. This year repeats itself every 60 years, perhaps many of you who were born in this year or are deeply interested in Eastern culture, will be attracted by the tattoo that symbolizes the Green Wooden Dragon.
Our week started with this question sent by our (female) reader :) Of course, in the digital world, golden tattoo imitation can also be found, but once the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes, on his arrival in the capital of the Aztec empire Tenochtitlán expressed, "I and my companions suffer from a heart disease that can only be cured with gold" Gold as a precious metal and precisely its unusual color has always stimulated the imagination of artists - to create something noble and aristocratic :) If Jewelers have found a niche and a use for gold - then for tattoos in gold color everything is different.
Pleasure to talk with you again :) We are back with new materials that will directly or indirectly touch and reflect the most interesting split of the tattooing industry.
