Tattoo art - origin, development and creative diversity of tattoo art

In times of Instagram and Co., from physical cult and self -staging , individualization and urge to apply, popularity as well as the diversity and artistic depth of tattoo art, body art and body modification completely new heights.

I would like to take this as an opportunity to get to the bottom of the phenomenon of skin finishing with the ink needle. In order to develop a fundamental understanding, it helps to start where the beginnings are - many years back in the past.

In fact, tattoos have been around for thousands of years . You can see them as one of the earliest and mostly common art forms in human history. In regions such as IREZUMI in Japan, Ta Moko in New Zealand and the Pe'a and Malu in Samoa, there is a millennia and tradition around the decorating images and patterns on the skin.

Of course there were and are countless other forms of traditional tattoos all over the world. In almost all cultures on every inhabited continent of our earth, colors in a permanent form are applied to the skin - and for more than 5,000 years. They served as mystical protective symbols, status badges, accompanying elements in rituals of all kinds or simply for personal decoration.

Tattoos in the form, as we know them today in most western civil societies, have their origin in the early 1970s.

This western art of crime comes from the traditional tribal tattooing , i.e. from the tattoos of indigenous peoples like the Maori . In addition, due to the industrial progress of this time, the use of electrically operated apparatus was used.

The tattoo machine was born.

One of the first documented tattoos with such a tattoo machine dates from around 1891.

The fact that western tattoo art has not changed fundamentally since then has not changed. Of course, the equipment used, the colors, motifs, artistics of the tattoo artists, lost a development and continued to improve. However, it can be observed over a course of over 145 years that the tattoos have remained largely true to their roots from that period of the 19th century.

In the past two decades, this art form - apparently fueled by mutual inspiration and direct competition over the Internet and the social media to make a true leap in development

Since when have tattoos have been around? A historical excursion

As already mentioned, the history of the tattoos How were the first tattoos made and why? Who invented the tattoo machine? Let's get to the bottom of these questions.

Tattoos are an art form in which the injection of pigments under the skin, the color of which is permanently changed in order to map certain motifs. This practice is very old and can probably be seen as the first visible manifestation of self -expression.

According to historical evidence from archaeological sources, it can be assumed that tattoos were stung in Europe 12,000 years ago. At least this is what archaeological finds of tools suggest, which were most likely specially made for this purpose. Such tools were found during excavations in France, Portugal and Scandinavia.

Tattooing all over the world has been practiced at least since the Neolithic (Neolithic), as is documented by mummified preserved skin, antique art and archaeological records.

Both ancient art and archaeological finds of possible tattoo tools indicate that tattooing was practiced in Europe during the time of the young Paleolithic. However, direct evidence of tattooing on mummified human skin only extends until the 4th millennium BC.

The discovery of a tattoo on the skin of a person has provided the discovery of a amazingly well -preserved Alpine mummy from the Stone Age . This Ötzi was tattooed and is probably around the 5th or 4th century before the birth of Christ through the Central European high mountains.

A total of 57 carbon -based tattoos adorned his body (see iceman.it ). Most of them may have been a protective sign or for reasons of healing, and were attached in a similar form as the needles in acupuncture (see "Why do people go back for more and more tattoos?" By BBC News).

The positions of the tattoos are interesting at Ötzi: the decorations can be found on wrists, Achilles tendon, on the knee or chest, which also includes scientists such as Albert Zink from the Eurac Institute for Mumien in Bolzano-a medical background for plausible-quasi tattoos as pain treatment. Ötzi could have treated his back and joint complaints in this way, possibly it was a kind of early form of acupuncture .

the researcher Joann Fletcher of the Archaeological Faculty of the University of York in Great Britain told Smithsonian Magazine :

“Based on conversations with my colleague Professor Don Brothwell from the University of New York, one of the specialists who examined him extensively, the distribution of the tattooed points and small crosses on his lower spine, his right knee and on his ankle from degenerative wear and tear in the human body. This indicates that the ornaments had the purpose of alleviating symptoms And thus followed a therapeutic application.

This assumption is still supported by the fact that the attached markings were in places that could not be perceived very easily by other people. Accordingly, they could not serve any representative purpose - such as a status symbol. "

Tattoo art in different old cultures

The Mocha in South America (approx. 500 BC)

The decoration of your own bodies was an important part of some pre -Columbian cultures of today's Peru and Chile . The puzzling Mocha culture , which around 500 BC. Chr. Large areas of the Andes dominated and the famous and probably largest sun pyramid built on the American continent built, use tattoos to demonstrate their leading role.

For a long time, archaeologists assumed that Mocha lived a strictly patriarchal social structure. This assumption was refuted by the discovery of an extraordinarily well -preserved female mummy, which was very tattooed. You now assume a more gender -neutral form of society.

The well-preserved mummy of a young Mocha woman had numerous religious and magical symbols of protection such as spiders and snakes on her arms, legs and feet. This find from 2006 was the first female leadership figure of this old culture.

The fact that they had been excavated with ceremonial war weapons such as clubs, spears and the body of a teenager, which was most likely sacrificed during the burial ceremony, underpinned the thesis that they held one of the highest ranks in the society of Mocha.

The old Egypt of the pharaohs and kings (approx. 3,000 BC)

In ancient Egypt, numerous mummies were found with permanent skin decorations. According to common opinion, tattoos in old cultures such as the Egyptians or in ancient India in a religious, spiritual and naturally practical context .

At the same time, it is speculated whether the permanent labeling on the skin should not also show the social status to the outside or was a kind of public ostracism or punishment on the other - similar to once.

For the first time, scientists discovered tattooed illustrations on the body of a woman from ancient Egypt. Your skin was littered with more than 30 symbols in the form of eyes and animals. It is already known that the old Egyptians used tattoos for special magical or medical purposes and some mummies with patterns from points or lines were found on the skin.

Now the organic archeologist Anne Austin from Stanford University in California was able to prove for the first time that the Egyptians also brought visual representations into the skin. When examining a mummy from Deir El-Medina on behalf of the Institut Français d'Archéology Orientale, she came across magical symbols (Spiegel science reported: "Tattoos from old Egypt: cows in the arm" ).

At first the scientist thought the symbols for mere superficial paintings, but on closer inspection she discovered that she was permanently engraved into the skin. Austin knew that with other mummies, tattoos were made visible through the use of infrared technologies. So she started her investigations.

By using infrared recordings, the researcher was able to discover further pictures of the skin, finally counting over 30 tattoos. Some of them were not recognizable with the naked eye, since the skin was severely discolored by the balamination fluids.

In addition to the couples, cows on the arms and lotus flowers were also shown on the hips-accompanied by numerous Horus eyes that covered the entire body. It is possible that a new tattoo was added with every climb in the Hathor cult, but the symbols were not only used for decoration-in particular the stinging on some parts of the body was extremely painful.

A new look at the ancient mummies from Deir-El Medina could prove to be worthwhile. After the discovery of the Hathor team, Austin found three more tattooed mummies. However, the Egyptians cannot be seen as the founder of tattoo art. Similar point and line tattoos, as are common in Egyptian mummies, already wore the Eismann Ötzi, who died in the Tenjoch in the Ötztaler Alps more than 5000 years ago.

Although the tattoos of Ötzi mainly have geometric patterns, the Egyptian masterpieces represent the first known examples of visual tattoos. The current results of the analysis were published in the renowned "Journal of Archeological Science" .

The earliest methods for the application of the color on the skin contained rather rough forms of incorporation or piercing the skin in order to then rub ashes into the wounds and thus bring the color particles to the epidermis.

A typical tool for this early form of tattooing was basically only a long bar or stem with a sharp end on one side.

In this way, since at least 3,000 BC. Worked by archaeologist WMF Petrie in Abydos, Egypt. The work equipment he found consisted of a number of flat needles that were connected to each other at the end of a rod and thus left a kind of dotted pattern on the skin.

In fact, tattoos among women at the court of a pharaoh were very widespread, as Fletcher confirmed to Smithsonian Magazine. This was particularly evident through around 4,000-1,200 BC. Chr. Painted illustrations of women with decorations on their bodies, archaeological finds of tools and mummified women with tattoos who were excavated in Achmim in Oberägypt.

One of the best preserved mummies with clearly visible tattoos on her body is Amunet , priestess of Hathor, from Thebes of the 10th Dynasty (2,160-1994 BC). She had parallel lines on her forearms and thighs as well as elliptical patterns under her belly button in the pelvic region. Many other female mummy finds from this time had similar decorations or ornamental scarring, as are still practiced in some parts of Africa.

The Egyptian process with its rune -like designs hardly changed in astonishingly over the course of over 4,000 years. In the 19th century, the traveler and author William Lande was able to observe how tattoo art was carried out with several (IDR seven) connected needles at the end of a stem. After the jump -off, black ash (made of wood or oil), mixed with breast milk from the chest of a woman, was rubbed into the wounds. Basically, these tattoo sessions are held aged 5 to 6 years.

Teutons, pords and Celtic tribes (approx. 300-0 BC)

It is also well documented that tattoos belonged to the widespread culture of many Germanic and Celtic tribes.

In the Germanic and Celts of the pre -Christian centuries, such as the pikes, which first lived in the British islands, physical decorations were very widespread in both genders.

Interesting facts on the side: The word "Britain" comes from "Britons" , the name for the indigenous people of Britain, which "people of the drawings" . At that time, the pikes were described by Julius Caesar in the 5th book in his "De Bello Gallico" .

Whether the body paintings were religious, decorative, mystical, or a mixture of it remains in the field of speculation.

Skythen and Bible -loyal Christians

Already in the commandments that God dictated Moses, it was stated: "You shouldn't let any signs carve!" (3. Moses 19:28). Nevertheless, not even Bible -loyal clergymen adhered to it. In the 14th century, for example, the mystic Heinrich Seuse ignored this bid by being tattooed on his chest - for Jesus.

The Skyths, who lived in the Eurasian steppes between the 8th and 3rd centuries BC, are considered masters of figurative tattoos. Large -scale mythical creatures can often be seen on the skin of their body, which is excellent through the permafrost.

Tattooed mummies from the year c. 500 v. BC were found from burial mounds on the Ukok plateau in the 1990s. Their tattoos included animal designs, which were carried out in a crooked style. The man of Pazyryk , a skythical chief, is tattooed with an extensive and detailed selection of fishing, monsters and a number of points that are lined up along the spine (lumbar area) and around the right ankle.

Native and Indian tribes of North America

Tattoos were the order of the day for many indigenous people in North America , often as religious insignia or as a sign of victory in combat. Just like later aircraft pilots engraved the number of their kills into their own aircraft fuselage, young warriors of these indigenous cultures used their own bodies as a label table for their triumphs in battle.

With the help of coal or Okra, they marked the number of scalps on their carved skin, which they captured during their skirmishes and raids.

Inuit

But not all tribes used tattoos for such macabre purposes. The inuit decorated their bodies, for example, in the name of beauty and for a peaceful life after death, at least since the 13th century.

Cardinal Guzman , author of "The History of Tattoo" described as follows:

The women of the Eskimos wore tattoos, together with other decorative decorations on the face, as an expression and to emphasize the female beauty. Such tattoos characterized the social status of the wearer, for example that they are ready for the wedding and offspring.

The tattoos were often very extensive and contained vertical lines on the chin with more complicated design through the rear parts of the cheek in front of the
ears. The markings were made with a needle and thread that were covered with soot and then pulled under the skin after a certain
pattern.

Piercing also common, jewelry made of bones, mussels, metal and pearls were incorporated into the lower lip.

The tattoo artist was usually an older woman, usually a relative, and accordingly only belief was granted the souls of brave warriors and women with large, beautiful tattoos access to the hereafter. The men often tattooed short lines in the face and in the western Arctic, the Waljäger made visual records of their success as hunters with the help of these lines.

Similarly, men often tattooed their whole body from the Cree , while the women wore artistic designs that went from the middle of the upper body to the pelvis - as a protective shield for safe pregnancy.

Along the Pacific coast

And along the Pacific coast, the Maidu stem tattoos for purely fashionable reasons. As Alfred L. Kroeber in the manual of the
Indians of California (1919):

"The Maidu are on the edge of the tattooing tribes. In the northern valleys, the women wore three to seven vertical lines on the chin, plus a diagonal line from every corner of the mouth to the external end of the other eye. The process was rubbed with an obsidian splinter, as with the Shasta.

There was no universal fashion for men: the most common sign was a narrow strip from the nose root. As elsewhere in California, lines and points were not uncommon on the chest, arms and hands of men and women; However, contrary to the female tribal, it does not seem to have developed a standardized pattern. ”

Asia

Tattooing was widespread throughout Asia.

China

However, Chinese viewed tattooing largely as barbaric practice, and convicts and slaves were temporarily provided with markings that characterized their status as criminals or property.

Japan

Tattoo, on the other hand, was popular with the indigenous Ainu . People in Japan , whose women tattooed their mouths and forearms at a young age. The ainu's mouth designs often resemble mustache. This fits a different Ainu tradition in which all men from a certain age stop, shave and carry long full beards.

The tattoo tradition in Japan was also cultivated by members of Yakuza , Japan's organized criminal syndicate, often with artistic
full -body art works.

The government of Meiji Japan banned tattoos in the 19th century. A ban that existed for 70 years before it was lifted in 1948. Since June 6, 2012, all new tattoos for employees of the city of Osaka have been banned. Existing tattoos must be covered with adequate clothing.

The regulations were added to the Ethics codices of Osaka, and employees with tattoos were encouraged to have them removed. This happened due to the strong connection of tattoos to Yakuza or the organized crime in Japan after an official from Osaka intimidated a school child in February 2012 by showing his tattoo.

Indonesia

In addition, many indigenous tribes across Indonesia - like the Dayak from Kalimantan on Borneo - practiced tattooing. Known as
Kalingai or Pantang , these designs were used to protect the wearers from danger.

Polynesia / Austria

Taiwan

Tattooing customs of the indigenous people were prohibited during the Japanese rule. In Taiwan, facial tattoos of the Atayal Ptasan are mentioned as the earliest tattoo practices. They were used to demonstrate that an adult man can protect his home and that an adult woman is qualified to weave fabrics and conduct the household.

It is believed that Taiwan is the home of all Austronesian peoples, which include Filipinos, Indonesians, Polynesians and Madagasy peoples, all with strong tattoo traditions. This, together with the remarkable correlation between Austronesian languages ​​and the use of the so-called handicaping method , suggests that Austria has inherited their tattoo traditions from their ancestors, which were based in Taiwan or along the south coast of the Chinese mainland.

Philippines

Tattooing ( Batok ) of both genders was practiced by almost all ethnic groups of the Philippines during the pre -colonial period. Old human sound figures, which were found in archaeological sites on the Batanes Islands and are around 2500 to 3000 years old, have simplified punched patterns, which are assumed that they represent tattoos and possibly also branding (also generally practiced).

When Antonio Pigafetta from the Magellan expedition (approx. 1521) met the Visayans of the islands for the first time, he repeatedly described her as "everywhere" . That was a clear indication of her tattoos.

Tattoos were symbols of tribal identity and relatives as well as bravery, beauty and social or wealthy status. It was also assumed that they have magical or apotropean skills and also be able to document personal or municipal history. Their design and placement varied depending on the ethnic group, belonging, status and gender.

They ranged from almost complete coverage of the body to tattoos on the face, which should remind of frightening masks among the elite secrets of the Visayans; only to be limited to certain areas of the body, such as manobo tattoos , which were only made on the forearms, the lower abdomen, the back, breasts and the ankles.

They usually repeated geometric patterns (lines, zigzags, repeating forms); Stylized representations of animals (such as snakes, lizards, dogs, frogs or thousand feet), plants (such as grass, ferns or flowers) or humans; Or star -like and sun -like patterns.

Each motif had a name and usually a story or meaning behind it, although most of them have been lost over time. It was the same patterns and motifs used in other art forms and decorations of the respective ethnic groups to which they belong. Tattoos were actually seen as a kind of clothing on themselves, and men usually only wore lumbar apron to show them.

New Zealand / the Maori

Maori tribe from New Zealand and other Polynesian cultures may be the best-known examples of early tribal tattoo practices. They have been an integral part of their respective culture for more than 2000 years.

In New Zealand Maori culture, the head was considered the most important part of the body, whereby the face was decorated with incredibly artistic tattoos or "Moko" that was considered a sign of high status. Every tattoo design was unique for this person and since it convey specific information about your status, rank, descent and skills, it was described as a kind of identity card or passport, a kind of aesthetic barcode for the face.

After sharp bone chisels were used to cut the designs into the skin, a soot -based pigment was knocked into the open wounds, which then healed to seal the design. Since the tattoos of warriors in different phases of their lives were attached as a kind of transitional rite, the decorations were considered to be embellished by their facial features and made them more attractive to the opposite gender.

Although Maori women were tattooed on the face, the markings focused more about nose and lips. Despite the fact that Christian missionaries tried to stop the procedure, the women claimed that tattoos around mouth and chin prevented the skin wrinkled and they kept young; The practice was apparently only continued in the 1970s.

As with other cross -generational cultural tattoos, the Polynesian tradition of body painting has hardly changed in the past two millennia. The traditional tool , known as / Au / , is made from sharpened wild boar bush teeth, which is connected to a part of a turtle tank and attached to a wood.

After he had dipped the tusks in color, the tattoo artist hit the turtle armor with a hammer to drive the tusks into the human skin. In view of the fact that men, especially high -ranking members of society, are tattooed from the upper body to the knee at a session, this often takes from sunrise to sunset.

In some cases it took up to a year to heal completely. During this healing period, the tattooed skin is repeatedly washed in salt water to remove contaminants. This process was very painful and had a lot of potential for fatal infections.

Samoa

The traditional male tattoo in Samoa is called Pe'a . The traditional female tattoo is Malu . It is believed that the word tattoo comes from the Samoan word Tatau and refers to a wing bone of a flight dog that was used as an instrument for the tattoo process.

When the Samoa Islands were seen by Europeans for the first time in 1722, three Dutch ships visited the eastern island known as Manua under the command of Jacob Roggeveen. A crew member of one of the ships described the natives with these words:

"They are friendly in their language and polite in their behavior, without a recognizable trace of wildness or wildness. They do not paint themselves like the natives of another tun islands, but on the lower body they carry artistically woven silk tights or knee -end pants and are overall the most charming and politely native that we have seen throughout the South Sea ..."

In Samoa, the tradition of applying tattoos or Tatau been used unbroken by hand for over two thousand years. Little has changed tools and techniques. The ability is often passed on by the father to the son, every tattoo artist or Tufuga learns the craft for many years as an apprentice of his father.

A young artist in training often spent hours and sometimes days with a special tattoo comb or au designs in sand or tree bark. Based on their tradition, Samoan tattoo artists made this tool from sharpened boar teeth, which were attached to a wooden handle with part of the turtle armor.

The traditional Samoan tattooing of the "Pe'a" body tattoos is a torture that is not taken lightly. It takes many weeks to finish it. The process is very painful and used to be a necessary prerequisite for obtaining a Matai title; However, this is no longer the case. Tattooing was also a very costly process.

Distribution of tattoos in the western world

The word tattoo is derived from the Tahitian "Tatau" and was translated into the English language by Captain James Cook after returning from his travels in the South Pacific in the middle of the 18th century. In his logbook, Cook explains:

Both genders paint their bodies with tattow , as it is said in their language. This happens by inserting black color under the skin so that they are indelible ...

Not only was Cook's expedition witness to this process, but many of his men - including his aristocratic science officer and expedition botanist, Sir Joseph Banks - even returned to England with the striking skin markings.

So the popular association of seafarers and tattoo artists began (think of Popeye). This helped the further spread of this body art practice all over the world. In fact, many European aristocrats carried tattoos until the 19th century, including the English kings Eduard VII , Georg V and King Friedrich IX. von Denmark , as well as Kaiser Wilhelm II and even Tsar Nicholas II of Russia.

The practice of tattooing became popular in America towards the end of the 18th century when American seafarers were routinely put into service on board British ships. Catherine Mcneur from Common Place once explained:

In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, tattoos were about the same proportions of self -portrayal as well as a unique method to identify the body of a sailor of the British Navy. The best source for early American tattoos is the protective papers issued according to a Congress Act of 1796 to protect American seafarers from confiscation. These proto passes catalogized tattoos alongside birthmarks, scars, breed and size.

With simple techniques and tools, tattoo artists usually worked on board ships and used everything that was available: pigments, even gunpowder and urine. Men marked their arms and hands with initials of themselves and loved ones, important data, symbols of seafaring life, freedom symbols, crucifixes and other symbols.

In the 19th century, tattooing was equally popular with citizens and crowned heads. Although it was associated with the lower social classes in the 20th century, it became a mainstream in the western world in the 1970s and is now extremely popular among both genders, in all economic classes and people of all ages.

There are tattoo studios that tattooed people professionally and with great skills, and today people wear tattoos that often say a lot about them or as a memory of things they would like to keep visually.

The rise of tattoo machines / tattoo machines

While people can still be tattooed with the traditional Polynesian pinching method - and still do this - a modern method started in the 19th century: a needle gun. The tattoo machine was born.

invention

The tattoo machine has a long and complicated past that goes back to the 19th century. It all started with Thomas Edison , an American inventor and his rotating device. He invented it in 1876 and his main purpose was the creation of stencils for flyers.

The tattoo artist Samuel O'Reilly modified Edison's design over the course of fifteen years to create an electric tattoo machine that he had patented in 1891. Its machine is still one of the most popular designs used today.

Consisting of a sterilized needle, which is driven by an electric drive, the engine of the pistol injects the color at a speed of 50 to 3,000 stitches per minute about one millimeter under the skin. This early tattoo machine was controlled in a similar way to a sewing machine with a machine -style foot pedal.

The evolution of the tattoo machine

Most of the tattoo machines - which are in use these days - have removed far from the old designs. The very first machine was adapted by Edison's rotating stencil, which was revolutionary, but difficult and cumbersome to use. What started as an electric motor, which was attached to a pipe with a steel needle, turned into an efficient model after adding two electromagnetic coils, feathers and contact rods.

Five years later, this design was improved by Charles Wagner , who created a model with double coils arranged next to each other.

The first modern tattoo machine was created in the 1920s when Percy Water's fourteen frame styles designed and manufactured that are still used today.

A big leap in development followed in 1979 when Carol Nightingale introduced an adjustable tattoo machine. Although this machine was never an economic success, it set standards and showed the possibilities of product design.

Nowadays, most modern tattoo machines (the Dragonfly and Stingray tattoo machines are parade examples) in terms of speed, depth and strength of application. The Bishop Rotary Tattoo machine was developed in 2009 and tattoo artists all over the world welcomed their easy design, which enabled them to use them longer without pain in the wrist.

Tattoo machines then and now

The very first tattoo machines were made of iron, steel and brass, while the later models are often made of aluminum, which is popular due to its easy properties and durability. The original machines were rotation systems, while the latest designs use electromagets to work.

Nowadays, tattooing machines are booting with innovative and original characteristics, such as the tattoo machine Cheyenne Hawk , which uses a revolutionary cartridge needle system with which you can change the needle in no time. Then there is the Lacenano , now the lightest tattoo machine in the world with a weight of only 45 g. This New Age tattoo machine can be fully autoclavable (including the engine) and has an ergonomic holding position, the machine has fully adjustable impact and flexibility and is suitable for all tattoo styles.

Tattoo Art in the 20th century - modern classification, interpretations and associations

Tattoos are still strongly associated with deviation from social norms, personality disorders and crime. Although the general acceptance of tattoos in western society is increasing, they still have a heavy stigma .

Tattoos are generally considered an important part of the culture of the Russian mafia.

The current cultural understanding of tattoos in Europe and North America was strongly influenced by long -term stereotypes , which were based on different social groups in the 19th and 20th centuries. Tattoos are particularly associated stereotypes, folklore and racism

It was only in the 1960s and 1970s that people bang tattoos with social outcasts such as motorcyclists and prisoners .

Today, many prisoners and criminal gangs use characteristic tattoos in the United States to show facts about their criminal behavior, their prison terms and their belonging to an organization. A tearball tattoo can be a symbol of murder, for example, or every tear stands for the death of a friend.

members of the US military have an equally well established and long-term history of tattooing to display military units, battles, killings, etc., an association that is still widespread among older Americans.

In Japan, tattoos are associated Yakuza groups Fukushi Masaichi , which tries to get the skin of dead Japanese with extensive tattoos.

Tattooing is also common among the British armed forces. Depending on the job, tattoos are accepted in a number of professions in America. Companies in many areas are increasingly opening up for diversity and inclusion .

Mainstream art galleries both conventional and customer-specific tattoo designs in the Museum of Croydon Beyond Skin .

In Great Britain there are indications of women with tattoos that have been covered by their clothes throughout the 20th century, and records of tattoo artists such as Jessie Knight from the 1920s.

A study with "endangered" (defined by school absenteeism and tails) youthful girls showed a positive correlation between body modification and negative feelings towards the body and low self -esteem; However, the study also showed that a strong motive for body modification is the search for the "self and the attempt to gain mastery and control over the body in an age" .

The spread of women in the tattoo industry in the 21st century, together with a larger number of women who carry tattoos, now seems to change the negative perception.

In covered in Ink, Beverly Yuen Thompson interviewed strongly tattooed women in Washington, Miami, Orlando, Houston, Long Beach and Seattle from 2007 to 2010. Younger generations usually do not bother to strongly tattooed women, while older generations, including the parents of the participants, rather look down on them, some even go so far that they deny their children because they were tattooed.

Typically, the family's reaction is an indicator of their relationship in general. It was reported that family members who did not accept tattoos, scrubbing the pictures, poured over consecration or surgically. Families who emotionally accepted their family members were able to maintain close ties after tattooing.

The modern tattoo renaissance

Nowadays not only sailors and ruffle are colored. Everyone, from football mothers to CEOs, big fathers to Miss-America candidates, athletes of every facon have tattoos. In fact, tattooing has experienced a worldwide renaissance since the 1950s, especially in western cultures.

Led by pioneering tattoo artists such as Lyle Tuttle (who made the famous heart tattoo on Janis Joplin's left breast), Cliff Raven , Don Nolan , Zeke Owens , Spider Webb and Don Ed Hardy .

The revival of the tattoo was partly cited through continuous refinements of machine technology as well as quickly changing social customs and a new generation of people who try to connect with their cultural heritage again.

The hype surrounding the tattoo culture reached a climax in the early morning when TV shows such as Inked , Miami Ink and La Ink brought tattoo art into the field of pop culture.

Today tattoos are considered high art with numerous exhibitions of contemporary art and institutions for visual art that show tattoos as gallery art. And there is all possible technological progress around the corner.

TV documentary: 7 days among tattoo artists

Seafarers, jail brothers, gang members: they are considered the typical tattooed. "Snow from yesterday!" , says Richi , head of the tattoo studio Bloody Ink in Hamburg, tattooed from head to toe. "But there are still prejudices tattooed. You are more special today when you don't have a tattoo."

Because every fifth under 35 is now tattooed. Johanna Luschen (not tattooed) and Martin Rieck (tattooed) spend seven days in the studio Bloody Ink and want to know: So what is it that so many people fascinated in tattoos? Why do you voluntarily expose yourself for hours of pain, mostly several times?

And what stories are behind their tattoos? Dennis, for example, can be stung fire and flame on his calves. As an eleven -year -old, he almost killed in a fire: "With the tattoo, I want to remember how quickly everything can be over." On the couch next to it, Janina lets her friend stab the kissing mouth on the bottom, it doesn't have a deep sense: "I just find it funny."

The film shows a chamber game between profound and banal stories, between pain distorted and blasting faces and lets the motto of the life of head tattoo artists Richi empathize:

"No Pain, No Glory."