The Evolution of Tattoo As an Art Form

[jaime hepburn]

There are various forms of expressions of feelings; some express them
by writing, some by gestures or some by actions. However, people today
are expressing their thoughts and emotions in the form of body art
known as Tattoo. Today, Tattoos are the trendy fashion statements and
has experienced resurgence in popularity but the origin of Tattoos
dates back to the Neolithic Period. Tattoos are very painful way of
doing designs on the various parts of the body by way of puncturing
the dermis layer of the skin and injecting ink into the body part and
creating several motifs. It is the ultimate form of expression of
passion.
Tattoo as an art
Tattoo is an ancient form of art that was done to identify a genre of
people or to symbolize an individual's belonging to a specific
community or even can be marks of religious and spiritual devotion. In
the earlier days it was the sailors who made tattoos on their arms;
these designs were specific art such as an anchor. In this way,
through tattoos one could distinguish a particular set of people. Even
a particular genre of music lovers will have identifiable tattoos. And
today, we have more than many tattoo art studios and parlors that
specialize in several types of tattoo pictures and designs. This form
of art is gaining popularity, even celebrity endorses them and tattoo
artists are much sought after people. Since, the last three decades
tattooing has undergone many changes and artists are nowadays trained
in fine arts discipline too. This great form of art uses the most
sophisticated equipment and procedures. Today, tattoo related art form
is a subject of study and viewing in the galleries and museums.
Brief History of Tattoo
The word Tattoo owes its allegiance to a Polynesian word ta meaning
striking something and Tahitian word tatau means to mark something.
Its origin can be traced back to some 5000 years ago and was
particularly used by many tribal and ethnic groups. The recorded
evidence of Tattoo suggests that it comes from ancient Egypt but this
art form does not have much historical evidences. In recent times, a
5000 year old frozen body of a tattooed man was discovered in the Alps
and the skin had 57 tattoos, the marks however suggests that, it has
been used for therapeutic purpose. Some excavations have also revealed
that tattoos on the body represented pictures of a variety of animals.
In Japan, the evidence of tattooing is found in clay figurines. It is
said that the Greeks used tattoos for the purpose of communication
with spies. What was the purpose of tattoos?-It is said to have varied
from culture to culture but few similarities still exist today. It has
an important role in case of any ritual or custom. Today, it has made
a strong comeback with its phenomenal art form.