Since the early stages of human history, it’s always been an essential part of human life
to search for a way to express our ideas, feelings
and goals using different forms of what we call art.
You can opt to portray your emotions of happiness or grief by painting a portrait,
by hiding behind the melody of a song or by immortalizing a special moment of your life
and with it, inspire all that surround you with its story.
Today we will check out the astonishing stories that tattoos have told us throughout the years.
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ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS LOVED THEIR TATTOOS
The practice of depicting art using ink on skin has been around since prehistoric times.
Nowadays tattoos are used to express our emotions, to remind us of any special moments,
to distinguish ourselves as members of a group or simply as part of an identity. But like almost
everything that was invented, tattoos were created with a completely different purpose.
For instance, it is known that in ancient China they were used as a form of punishment
for minor crimes while the Greeks used tattoos to distinguish social class status among citizens.
Although there is a 100 or even a 1000-year gap between our current time and that of these ancient
civilizations. It can be inferred that this form of art is not very far from present times with
respect to the longevity of our history on planet Earth. But in 2015, a frozen body of a man dating
as far back as 3370 and 3100 B.C was discovered in the Alps between Switzerland and Italy. The
mummified body was named Otzi and its age was calculated to be at least 5300 years old. He
appeared to have 63 tattoos all over his body, most of them lines,
which scientists later concluded after several tests, were used as a form of painkillers.
Aside from this, the oldest representational tattoos found
are slightly recent than those of the previous case. Such as a few Egyptian
mummies dating back to the years 3351 and 3017 B.C which portrayed a variety of horned animals
leading to what we could now see. The honorable samurais were another case,
these warriors tattooed their entire bodies to distinguish themselves as part of a group or
clan. This practice is kept alive by the Yakuza, who are the lost descendants of the samurai.
Another interesting case was that of a Siberian princess who lived 2,500 years
ago. Her tattoos were so intricate that it seemed as though they were designed
by the best and most skilled tattoo artist of today’s era.
This proves that the art of ink on skin has been a part of our identity throughout history.
Forced tattoos were popular as a way of punishment
We briefly touched on the act of forcing tattoos as a way of punishment in ancient China,
where a criminal had his felony tattooed on his face as a way for him and in some cases his family
to bear his shame and disgrace. But this practice was not just used as a form of punishment.
Throughout the centuries, when the vast majority of civilizations had slavery as a custom,
the misfortuned human beings who were born in this sector of the population
or those who were captured from other lands later to be sold, were forcibly tattooed
with the purpose of distinguishing them as someone’s property, making it difficult for
them to hide if they managed to escape. This practice that only worsened the
inhumane act enslaving your own kind,was done by Persians, Greeks, Romans, Chinese, Japanese and by
the Nazis at their time. Nothing less could be expected from deplorable and evil people
who considered themselves “superior” to others. The last-mentioned, not in order to start an
unjustified hunt against the Jewish people for simply considering them “undesirables”, following
back a medieval and archaic way of thinking, mistreating them and depriving them from freedom,
just had to put the cherry on top by branding them like cattle while escorting them to the gas
chambers with numbers tattooed on their skin. Some descendants of the Jewish victims during
the second world war have been able to find the number that their relatives were forced to wear
and have it tattooed as a reminder of the level of cruelty humans can reach.
The history of tattoos in prison
Have you ever asked yourself, why older people automatically associate tattoos
with gangs or delinquents? The answer can be found in the practice of this
art inside prison cells around the world. During the 1890s tattooing machines were
increasing in the market, becoming very popular among prison inmates . They tried to replicate the
original tattooing machines using sewing needles which they attached to other objects to serve as
a handle for this invention. Because of their precarious
elaboration, and the recent interest in the technique among the inmates, the first
prison tattoos became obvious. They consisted of simple patterns and designs using mainly thick
lines and shadowing. But, during the 1970s, and electric motor was added to this tattooing device
made up of toothbrushes, pens, clips, and guitar strings. It was until then that the tattoos began
to gain a more attractive appearance, creating a new style called “fine line”.
At the end of the 1970s, this style was spread far beyond the prison walls. This style was adapted
by many tattoo salons and among independent artists. “Fine line” helped to improve the
quality of the tools used by tattoo artists and became very popular in today’s culture.
Within the walls of prisons, this art is still being performed with clandestine tools which
have been innovated with time. For instance, CD motors have been added to these devices,
and tattoo artists have learned better techniques and as a result, have discovered a variety of gray
tones, creating hyperreal shadows that rival those made by professional tattoo artists.
In prison, tattoos can have a variety of meanings as well as those outside of prison. The important
difference is that choosing the wrong tattoo can cause you serious problems, and in some cases,
hiding the story of some criminal activity. The Japanese doctor who collected 2,000
plucked tattoos Art does not know discrimination
or disgust, and is completely subjective. People with a deep fondness for these representations
could possess precious collections to which they might have dedicated a great portion
of their lives to acquire them. There are all types of works of art, from paintings
to strange collections that can only be conceived in the darkest stories of a horror film.
Fukushi Masaichi, a Japanese doctor who lived between 1878 and 1956 was the possessor of a
horrific collection that not everyone will have the stomach to look at. This man had
an enormous fascination with tattoos, and the popular technique called “irezumi”,
which he gained when he discovered that injecting ink on skin was beneficial when
dealing with injuries caused by syphilis. His admiration for these tattoos was such
that he began to extract these forms of art from the bodies of the deceased with the intention to
study them and collect them. But let’s not be misled and consider him a person of low ethics
and morale. These bodies were donated by the owners themselves before dying or in some
instances, thanks to the friendly relationship that the doctor kept with his patients,
some agreed to have the art on their bodies preserved by Masaichi and in some instances,
even paying to have a tattoo finished which would years later be added to his collection .
At the end, he was able to accumulate a collection of 2000 samples with different tattoos,
which he preserved in a bunker at the beginning of the 1940s, protecting them
from destruction during World War 2. However, a truck that transported some
of the samples was lost without a trace, while the rest of them are being kept in
a safe at the University of Tokyo, which is only accessible to doctors by appointment.
The Alien transformations of today
In today’s era, a great number of people possess at least one tattoo and each day the opinion
regarding what they represent has become more and more permissive thanks to the new generations,
giving rise to the influence that political and religious organizations have on those
who decide to permanently paint their bodies. There are those who cover 70% of their bodies
with designs made from the art of ink on skin, while others reach
unimaginable limits, modifying their bodies to the point that they become unrecognizable.
It is well known and has even become hard to ignore that there are some people who bifurcate
their tongues or even tattoo their eyes, causing their looks to be penetrating and scary. Both
alterations to the body, aside from being irreversible, can be very dangerous.
The most astonishing case is that of the “black alien”, a person who aside from
what was previously mentioned, has undergone many surgeries without considering the cost
and risks of these surgeries to remove parts of his body with the purpose of becoming a
terrifying person from a different galaxy. Anthony Loffredo lived a normal life, until
he reached the age of 24, he realized that he needed a whole new change. He was fascinated with
body transformations and was a fan of aliens. He decided to take things a step further and become
a being from another planet. Aside from tattoos, he included subdermal implants and removed parts
of his face to accomplish his goal, with his most recent surgery being the removal of his upper lip.
Truthfully a horrific vision to those who don’t share the same idea as him regarding
beauty and art. In my opinion, every person is free to do what they please with their bodies
and deserves to be treated with respect. We will see what other new and crazy representations
humanity will have to express itself through art soon here in Copernicus Galaxy.