Tattoos pictures

The art of tattoo. Some about great tattoos pictures and tattoos designs

author: Nikolay Sokolov (Google+)

The art of tattoo is ancient. It is hard to say when the man began to apply such images to his skin. This kind of art was invented in ancient times in different parts of the world almost simultaneously. However, it is well known that the history of images application can be counted from not less than 60 thousand years ago.

When and why have tattoos appeared?

The most ancient tattoos have been discovered during the excavations of the Egyptian pyramids. We also definitely know that such images existed in Ancient Egypt. Even more, we have physical proof of their application, that is visible on  mummies of Egypt of that time. The age of discovered mummies is almost four thousand years ago, but the tattoo images, that are residing on their skin, are still clearly visible. We can bravely suppose, that in Egypt they were applied only to the skins of the rich and famous people, including pharaohs and their families.
The scientists say that the images appeared a lot earlier, in the times of ancient people, where tattoo pictures were not only the mean of decoration, but were considered to be the sign of totem, tribe and told a lot about social position of the applicant and also were known to possess magic forces.

As for the reasons for their appearance, we also don’t have any clear information. According to one theory, it is a progress from the natural skin damage that people of the Stone Age received. The bruises and wounds gathered together in one custom looking scar and this was very lucky for the person, because it told people a lot about his success as a hunter and brave warrior. The ancient families over the time became bigger and bigger and gathered together into small organized alliances, that’s why there was a need to apply special marks to skin, that made a certain sense inside a certain alliance.

Tattoos in Polynesia and Indonesia

Indian tribes of Polynesia and Indonesia, who applied the images on regular basis, gave the art of tattoo from generation to generation. Almost every aspect of life of those people has a certain connection with tattoos – from the moment they are born and until their death. There is no part of the bodies of those people, where local artists didn’t apply their masterpieces.

Even more, tattoos are closely connected with transitional rituals – the initiation of children to adult males or in transition  from this life to another world. For example, the Diak tribes believed that in local paradise everything will begin to gain new qualities that are opposite to the earthly ones – the white will become black and the sweet – bitter and so on. Thus the Diak tribes always used dark colors in their tattoos.

Having changed their appearance after death, the tattoos became shining and full of light. This light was quite enough to make a successful transition of their bearer through the dark abyss between paradise and earth.

Interesting facts in tattoo history

The history of tattoos has a lot of interesting facts to speak about. We should pay a separate close attention to the fact that different peoples thought such images to have magical attributes –for example, they believed to guard adults during the hunting and wars, they protected children from the wrath of their parents and protected old people from different diseases. The tattoos have been applied not only by savages, they became popular in 18-19 centuries, when the British sailors  applied big crosses on their backs because they believed that such signs can save them from physical punishment. Those kinds of signs were widely spread in English fleet. The tattoo pics that contain quotations and famous words from Koran were the usual designs among many Arabs. It is necessary to underline, that such images increased the status of the person. Sometimes the images on skin were designed to serve as the punishment. For example, in one Japanese province when the person committed a crime for the first time, the tattoos were applied to their head. Usually such tattoos were represented by lines – each line for each crime.

Tattoos in Japan

The art of image application onto the skin in Japan was born as well long ago and was constantly evolving up to our days and developed into the huge branch of the modern style of the artistic tattoo, that is known everywhere nowadays as Japanese style. The traditional ancient Japanese kinds of such images are the Koi carps and different flowers. However, sometimes people often think about Japanese dragons, samurais and geishas to be ancient, but in reality they appeared quite a lot later. It is necessary to say that in Japan, as well as in some other countries, the mechanism of tattoo application by hand, without any use of devices, was preserved.

Also in Japan such tattoos as sacred animals and spirits, such as dragons, tigers, carps, were widely applied. As a result, the composition in the shape of ENU hieroglyph was created. The meaning of this hieroglyph was “a dog”.

Tattoos were used as a punishment in China. Usually such images were applied to servants or captured people and this made their escape almost impossible. It is necessary to say that Roman and Greek people used different designs for almost the same purposes. Later, the conquerors from Spain continued this practice in Mexico and Nicaragua.

Some pre-Slavic tribes als used different stamps for tattoo application. Usually they were in the form of certain presses, created with the elements of the ornament. Such presses allowed to cover the whole body with the carpet-like ornament, that was widely used for the magical rituals of fertility cult.

Tattoos in modern times

In modern times tattoos in different countries can mean different things, even if they look quite the same. As in the ancient times the tattoos have been created to symbolize something. Such types of tattoo image applications, as travellers tattoos, prison tattoos, war tattoos and so on, began to exist. Designs can also mean the deeds of people: for example, made a round the world trip, is a thief, was at military service in these or those forces and so on. However in the end of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st century artistic tattoo designs evolved. Such pictures are applied only for the purpose of the beauty and usually do not have any certain meaning. The people who began applying such image  designs to their skins soon understood that in society nobody understands them because the society continued to think that the tattoo has to have a certain meaning and also was not used to new approach. It was very hard especially for the people of former USSR, where the young generation encountered with non-understanding from the Soviet conservative people, where tattoo was considered the attribute of criminal structures only.

The most important part of tattoo history

In the tattoo art the year of 1891 is known as one of the most important parts of history because in this year the American O Reilly invented the special electronic device for such images application and it was a great thing because allowed to avoid all hand made instruments. All the first half of the twentieth century Europe and America were limited to the standard sets of the primitive pictures. And only the powerful burst of the youth culture of the 60-s led to the appearance of the new generation of tattoo artists with big artistic ambitions and the great will to make the craziest experiments. It was then when the tattoo application became the art, and the specialized shops became sacred for the most part of people who are loving such art. This was the time when there began the application of traditional culture images of Polynesia, the East, American Indians, forming of new styles, directions and schools. Thus began the new and modern period of more than a thousand year history.

Now the world of tattoo became more simple and the attitude to them became more tolerant, and also images that are applied currently can be easily hidden under the clothing. Many people decide to make the one and only tattoo in their life for the memories of some event that took place or just for fun. Let us see why people apply tattoos.

Reasons to apply tattoos

In different regions, as we noted already, tattoos looked differently and meant different things. Usually people make tattoos because they want to look very modern and attractive. However this art, even given the fact that it was evolved a lot, is ancient and this can not be a real reason. People like to show off – that's why they buy clothes, accessories, do their make-up. They want to attract glances of other people and probably even to deliver some message to them. Tattoo art becomes one of such means of showing oneself. According to the statistics, usually designs are applied by rather ambitious people, such as actors, musicians, singers and so on.

Tattoo and psychology

Any art gives its impact on a psychological state of the person, and it can be said also about such non-traditional way of painting, as painting on the body. First of all, tattoos should be wanted by the person itself, and it should be really the thing that is desired. This is really so, because not every person can overcome fears and prejudices and decide to apply a tattoo. It goes without saying that the motivation is different for the different people, but it should exist and one has to fully understand why he wants to apply the design. On the other hand the man is a social creature and as a social one, he can influence the surrounding people by the way he looks. This is the other side of the psychological aspect of the art of tattooing.

Psychological aspect of tattoo application is closely connected with the longing to be similar with someone. In some cases the tattoo can provoke the circumstances it reveals by itself. And if it is done with full understanding of its meaning and purpose,  tattoo becomes a business card, and can tell you a lot about the bihavioristic image of the person.

In other words, the tattoo is never a mere passive image, it is an active symbol, the pointer to the character of the person. This is applied only in cases where the person makes tattoo according to his own will.

The American psychologists are sure that personal traits and tattoos have a very close connection. There are some tendencies and connections between images and traits of character. For example, the running man tattoo image design can mean the longing to run away, find shelter. The image in different forms of faces usually means that the person tries to look after himself really good. If the person chooses eyes as his design it can mean the longing to exclude bad visual impacts if the eyes are closed. If they are wide open this can mean the need of defense. Mouth is known as the symbol of everything aggressive. The certain sign of aggression can be also represented by the image of good teeth. Nose is considered to be the symbol of something sexual, but it is argued up to now.

Thus we can say that tattoos mostly often reveal the state of character and mind of those who apply them. For example, if the person looks very calm, it is highly unlikely that he will have any aggressive tattoo designs. But if he has any, it can still be explained like the will to gain some protection and to compensate the weakness. That’s why when examining persons, tattoos must be considered in close connection with every aspect concerning the persons life and every peculiarity.

Tattoos nowadays are very popular and we can surely say that people will always apply them. All people are very individual and complex – different sex, knowledge, tattooed or not. So there are several reasons why people make tattoos – the mean of showing off, the love for something, feeling of weakness, cosmetic purposes, and status motivations.

Tattoo is not a fashion. Nowadays the overall quality of tattoos and tattoo application increased a lot, so the first place probably is occupied not only by the meaining of tattoo, but by the application quality and beauty.