Tattoo

A tattoo is a kind of body art. These days, it is considered a kind of avant-garde art. In the book Tattoos in Modern Society, it is stated that “Tattooing is a permanent form of body art made by using inked needles to create a design in the skin”. A tattoo was often used by criminal gangs such as Mara Salvatrucha and Yakuza as a method of identification within the hierarchy. However, tattoos are increasingly common among youth groups and trends promoting self-expression and identity. The topic of the paper is to conduct an interview with a person who has a tattoo.
The roots of the custom of tattooing the body go back to ancient times. They have their origins in the days of primitive tribes and peoples. Ethnographic interpretation of images, motifs, and the gradual extinction of this custom with the transition to a more civilized society gives evidence for the interpretation of tattoos as a remnant preserved from the distant primitive era. In the book Inked: Tattoos and Body Art around the World, it is affirmed that “The word ‘tattoo’ was brought to Europe by European sailors who encountered the practice of tattooing among Tahitians, Hawaiians, and Samoans”. At various times, the attitude to tattoos changed in accordance with changing conditions and the level of development of human civilization. These days, it is unlikely that a tattoo in civilized countries bears a deep meaning as it was accepted by the ancient people. Most of all, it is a passion for assemblage and a desire to stand out from the ordinary society.
Nowadays, tattoos are extremely widespread around the world. The popularity of tattoos is evidenced by the fact that in Japan, there is the Museum of Tattoos that has more than one hundred rare exhibits. In 1996, the tattoo museum and library were opened in Amsterdam. It contains numerous exhibits and materials on the history and styles of art tattoos. In different countries, the tattoo is elevated to the rank of art. There are galleries, academies, salons, and contests. There are also champions in this field of art. One of them is Rick Genest who covered practically the whole body with tattoos.
To learn more about this modern form of art, I have conducted an interview with my neighbor. The interview took place at the beginning of March in the nearby cafe. My neighbor’s name is John Hugh and he is 35 years old. He is a tattoo artist. He comes from Sweden. His both parents are Europeans. However, when John was 23 years old, he moved to the United States. John is fond of rock music and soccer. Several times a year, he visits soccer matches on the field. Even though John is a tattoo artist, he does not cover all his body with tattoos. He has only two tattoos.
John said that the idea to become a tattoo artist appeared in his youth because he met a famous tattoo artist who changed his views on tattoos. According to John, he was always interested in painting. When he was a kid, he always liked drawing. He always admired beautiful pictures and illustrations that inspired him to become a tattoo artist and make himself a tattoo subsequently. His family supports him in this occupation and his passion for tattoos.
John made his first tattoo when he was 21 years old. At that time, he lived in Sweden. Tattoos did not virtually exist there. People around him did not have tattoos. John was them only on television and on the musicians. He had loved tattoos since an early age. John was a child in the 1980s and early 1990s. At that time, punks were extremely popular. John had never been part of this culture, but punks always attracted him. It was interesting to watch them and they had great tattoos. For John, tattoos were part of the street life at that time.
He was always interested in tattoos. However, it took him a long time to understand how he could become a part of it. As it was already mentioned, he got his first tattoo at the age of 21 in his hometown of Lausanne Switzerland. John vividly remembers the time when he did his first tattoo. Since that time, about 15 years have passed and he has changed his tattoo a little. However, the main idea of the first picture still remains. This tattoo is in the form of a hawk moth. John states that when he saw this butterfly in the museum for the first time, he was fascinated with its uncommonness. It is also called Adam’s head or a death’s head hawk moth. This insect has almost no resemblance to the usual butterflies, fluttering of which most people like to watch. The shape of their body resembles a fighter as they move rapidly at high speed. At the same time, they are active only at night. They do not eat the nectar of flowers preferring juices from the fruit of tree bark. However, the main difference is a picture, located on the body of the butterfly. This picture resembles a human skull. Quite a clear outline of the skull will not leave anyone indifferent. An unusual pattern on the body of the butterfly immediately attracted John’s attention. He started learning about these kinds of insects and realized that they were extremely unusual. Van Gogh devoted his picture to this butterfly. He compared a hawk moth with himself. John, as well as this unusual butterfly, stood out from the crowd. John was too tight in his native city. He wanted to communicate with other people and be a different person. His town did not allow him to do this. Thus, he chose this tattoo. In a general sense, a tattoo in the form of the hawk moth represents the desire for a better life. For John, it symbolizes rebirth and a new life. It is the transition to a new stage of life. It also has another meaning. As John is a Christian, he also wanted to make his first tattoo in connection with purity. In Christianity, a hawk moth is a symbol of the soul. In such a way, it is an ideal tattoo for John as with its help, he wanted to show that he aspired to a new life but still remained with pure thoughts and soul.
For his first tattoo, John approached extremely seriously. He really wanted it to mean something to him. Also, he wanted to make it into the best master. Since at that time, the tattoo was not very popular in Switzerland, there were not a large number of masters. However, there were several famous masters. One of them was Philip Lew. John wanted him to make the first tattoo. The artist did a tattoo for about three days.
Initially, the tattoo was not very big. It was only about 10 centimeters in length and represented only a hawk moth. It is located near the ribs. At first, the tattoo was black. However, with time, John decided to add some color and expand it. In such a way, it looks a little different now than it was before. The moth remained black but John added green, yellow, red, and blue colors over the moth in the form of triangles. There is also a circle with the abstracted lines around the moth. Near the circle, there are stars and a new moon. To change the tattoo, John again applied to Philip Lew. Personally, I liked John’s tattoo very much. It is rather unusual and represents the inner world of both the tattoo artist and John. It involves the best traditions of tattoos. The tattoo shows that a person is creative and wants to convey a certain message. According to my opinion, this message is that people should not be afraid of changes and modifications. If a person is not happy and not satisfied with life, he/she needs to change something. People should not be afraid of others’ opinions. People should not be afraid of consequences. Life is only one. If a person does not deal with it as he/she wishes, he/she will always be unhappy. However, thoughts and the soul must be clean.
It should be noted that this tattoo has literally changed the whole life of John. Philip Lew affected John’s attitude toward tattoos and tattoo masters. At that time, he went to art school and when Philip was doing a tattoo John stated that he would like to learn how to tattoo as it simply fascinated him at that time. Philip Lew had said that he could teach him. Since that time, a tattoo completely absorbed John’s life. He really believes that the hawk moth has changed his life.
These days, tattoos have become an inseparable part of human life. Earlier, they were only associated with certain criminal gangs. However, nowadays, many people have tattoos. In such a way, they depict their inner world, their interests, and their views on life. I have interviewed John Hugh. He is a tattoo artist and he told me about his job and the first tattoo that changed his whole life.

Scientific aspects of tattoo art from anthropologist and artist-scientist Plagiarismsearch.com https://plagiarismsearch.com/ Donna White