While browsing the tribal and blackwork galleries I discovered a pair of images that go outside the normal ideas of what is tribal/blackwork.

For the most part, the style is predominantly known for its use of clean lines made of heavy bands of black ink.  Not saying that the entire genre is made up of that, but for the majority of people, that is what comes to mind when the topic comes up.  In this post, the first of two, we’re taking a look at a tattoo by Magnutze.  Right off the bat, the dotwork design in the middle stands out, as well as the red lines across his torso.  While at first glance they could be mistaken for cutting scars, they’re actually part of the overall tattoo design.

As with all abstract pieces, the reactions tend to be mixed.  To some, the deviation from the norm is refreshing, while others just don’t like the aesthetics of it at all.  So what are your thoughts on this particular piece?

Later today you’ll get a look at another piece that is from a similar artistic vein, although executed differently.

Pharmaecopia sent in these photos of his newest addition, a dotwork swastika tattoo on his foot.  geRi from Swastika Tattoo in Budapest is the artist responsible.

If you look closely you can see that the dotwork extends right into the cuticles on his toes.

The drought is over, the boys are back in town.  But who is this mysterious boy?

Here’s a hint:  He’s the man responsible for the Hungarian coat of arms from earlier in the week.

Keep reading to see who it is.

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Last week there were a lot of requests for posts of BME Girls, but amongst the comments were a number of requests for some BME Boys.  This week, I’m happy to oblige.

Unfortunately the image was uploaded to the miscellaneous tattoo gallery anonymously, so until someone identifies that backside, it’ll remain nameless.

So just a reminder to everyone, when you upload pictures to BME, make sure you fill in all the boxes so proper credit can be assigned.

The gang from Kipod Tattoo Studio in Tel Aviv have done it again.   Last time we saw something from them it was a large bio-mech peice.  This time we’ve got a pretty big tribal-ish snake that looks a little angry.

Now I know what you’re thinking, “big deal, he’s got a snake on his ribs and chest, I’ve seen bigger snakes than that in my backyard.”  Well you honestly don’t think this is the entire snake do you?  Keep on reading to see just how big this cobra is.

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The art of a sand manadala is tied deeply to Buddhist spiritual beliefs.  As you can see in the video above, the time and dedication required to create a mandala takes years of study.  Each grain of sand is delicately placed to form a detailed image created in a geometrical design.  After taking a look at the following image sent in by Punktum, I immediately thought of the sand mandala.  (Click the picture to see the full sized image)

With the design being so geometrical and comprised of mainly dotwork, you can easily see where the comparison comes from.  The art of tattooing is no so dissimilar from the process involved in creating a sand mandala.  Yes one is a strictly religious and spiritual practice, but they both employ the usage of a fine material to create something larger.  While the monks use grains of sand, the tattoo artist uses small needles.  In both cases the smallest details matter, as each line and color must be placed in a specific location to create the overall design.  It was really difficult to select just one image of Punktum’s so here’s a second one, just to give you an idea of how detailed these designs are.

If you have some time, please check out the tribal and blackwork tattoo gallery today, you won’t be disappointed with what you find.

A polymath is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas. In less formal terms, a polymath (or polymathic person) may simply be someone who is very knowledgeable. Most ancient scientists were polymaths by today’s standards.

The terms Renaissance man and, less commonly, Homo Universalis (Latin for “universal man” or “man of the world”) are related and used to describe a person who is well educated or who excels in a wide variety of subjects or fields. The idea developed in Renaissance Italy from the notion expressed by one of its most accomplished representatives, Leon Battista Alberti (1404–1472): that “a man can do all things if he will.” It embodied the basic tenets of Renaissance humanism, which considered humans empowered, limitless in their capacities for development, and led to the notion that people should embrace all knowledge and develop their capacities as fully as possible. Thus the gifted people of the Renaissance sought to develop skills in all areas of knowledge, in physical development, in social accomplishments, and in the arts.

Source

When I started writing today’s posts I had noticed that a few of the images I has selected were all from the same artist.  We’ve already seen Gabor Zagyvai’s scarification work, as well as one of the suspensions he performed recently.  Now for the final part of the trifecta, I present one of his tattoos.

This piece, entitled “Abstract Mistycism” (not my spelling), was part of the large image upload that Gabor sent in recently.  This leg piece is just breathtaking in it’s intricacies.  I love how you can get lost in the images, especially considering the monochromatic nature of blackwork.

I was to talk about the term “Renaissance Man”.  The wiki definition above gives us the classical definition, and for the most part that definition still works today.  I think that Gabor is a good representation of the Renaissance men and women that are so prevalent in the modification community today.  While classical artists tend to favor one medium over other others, what we are seeing now is a large percentage of the modification artists branching out from one particular form of modification.  Scar artists are also tattoo artists, piercers also suspend people, and even more, like Gabor, cover every aspect of the modification spectrum.

This then brings up the argument, is it now necessary in today’s world to become a master of multiple genres?  Is wearing just one hat enough these days to become successful, or should artists work towards perfecting their art in different mediums?  I guess the more important question is, have we as a community raised our expectations to the point that artists feel they must diversify to meet the needs of their clientele?

What do you guys and gals think?  Does the future of modification lie in artists becoming polymaths, or are there enough people out there that specialization is still the preferred way to go?

IAM:somekindarobot is no stranger to working with his hand. A quick look at his page will show you some of the works he has sculpted out of clay as well as his works in other mediums (bonus points for the C’thulhu image).  So when he decided to get the alchemical symbol for clay tattooed on his chest, it seemed only logical to have it done by hand (tapping).

Somekindarobot is no stranger to blackwork, as evidenced by his arm, and it’s always fun to watch a hand tapping session.

There’s something very primal about the entire experience, possibly from the use of the tools, or just the technique itself.  Which is part of the reason this image drew me in.  As anyone who has worked with clay knows, the entire process of creation involves sculpting something out of a lump of what can best be described as mud.  It’s a raw material, and no matter how modern things have come along in the sculpting world, it’s a process that goes back to the stone ages.  To craft something from nothing with your hands, to turn a lump of clay into something practical or beautiful, or both.  So here we have an artist, who works with one of the oldest mediums known, getting an ancient symbol tattooed on his chest by one of the oldest tattoo techniques.  Regardless if you love heavy blackwork or not, you have to appreciate the the utter primitiveness that is evoked by the linking of the artist and the art.

There are a few more pictures of the session up in the “other” tattoo galleries.  That’s where you’ll find images of tattoos done by hand, using a variety of techniques.

I think what I’m taking away most from this image ties to the anonymous quote I used in the headline.  This is an artist who not only molds clay, but also his own body, in the way he wants.

Aesthetics can often play a large part in the appreciation of a mod.  Not always mind you, but often enough that it’s fair to say that it is quite commonplace.

The beauty of an aesthetic judgment is that it is subject to personal interpretation.  For example one person may love the look of multiple facial piercings, while another may not.  There is no right or wrong answer in this situation because human beings, as individuals aren’t locked into a single mindset as to what is pleasing to the eye.  Obviously in the case of animals, mate selection is a primary motivation, and many species have adapted/evolved to the point where mate selection comes down to which potential mate displays the proper requires traits the best.

Now I realize that a lot of this is pretty common knowledge, and I do have a reason for bringing all this up.  The Flower of Life is a geometric figure that has been linked to almost every culture ever known to man.  For different people, the image means different things, but most recognize the inherent power of the symbol.  One variation of the Flower of Life is that of Metatron’s Cube.  The cube is thought to be a visual representation of the basic building blocks of the universe, right down to a single atom.  So it was no wonder that while I was browsing the BME galleries my eye was drawn to this tattoo uploaded by Atrocity Exhibition.

If you look closely, you can see that not only is the image painstakingly geometric, but the spaces between the lines are filled in not with a solid color, but with very small black dots.  This symbol, combined with the flower atop it, really stood out to me as one of the finest examples of blackwork I’ve seen in a very long time.

The picture was taken the day after it was done, and I’m really curious as to see how it will look when it’s fully healed.

This beautiful black work was done by the father of modern tribal tattooing, Leo Zulueta out of Spiral Tattoo in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  The lucky wearer is wlfdrgn.

More after the jump.

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