An intriguing medium with a limitless future, tattooing manages to be an art form as old as time and as modern as today. Tattoos have been found on the oldest preserved human remains, and today they adorn bodies in nearly every culture all over the world. From the 1940s through the 1970s tattooing was largely the territory of military and motorcycle subcultures. The familiar old sailor tattoo designs epitomize military tradition and the stereotyping of the men in service from all over the world who proudly adorn them. The 1980 brought a bit more progression and broader availability of high tech tattoo equipment.
Aah, and then came the 1990s and the beginning of the tattoo renaissance. The introduction of tattoo magazines, the widening outreach of the internet and an increase in the number of tattoo conventions got the public’s attention and brought this subculture into an ever widening arena.
The new players were mostly art school educated, and they started to push the boundaries. Japanese-style tattooing and various tribal patterns were soon commonplace tattoo designs within the tattoo scene.
The new information age awoke interest in both old and new styles of artwork to accommodate the bursting envelope of how to define body art.
And then just when you thought you had seen it all, along came portrait and photorealistic black and grey tattoo designs showcasing some of the art forms true potential. Large scale tattooing soon became common sight on an increasing number of individuals. And “individual” is not a term used loosely here.
The end of the 1990s saw no stone left unturned. Full body suits, mastery of technique, and a flood of equipment developments made tattooing very popular among a huge cross section of our population. The tattoo scene has exploded around us and its great to see the world wide embrace of what was once a small tight-knit misunderstood subculture.
Aah, and then came the 1990s and the beginning of the tattoo renaissance. The introduction of tattoo magazines, the widening outreach of the internet and an increase in the number of tattoo conventions got the public’s attention and brought this subculture into an ever widening arena.
The new players were mostly art school educated, and they started to push the boundaries. Japanese-style tattooing and various tribal patterns were soon commonplace tattoo designs within the tattoo scene.
The new information age awoke interest in both old and new styles of artwork to accommodate the bursting envelope of how to define body art.
And then just when you thought you had seen it all, along came portrait and photorealistic black and grey tattoo designs showcasing some of the art forms true potential. Large scale tattooing soon became common sight on an increasing number of individuals. And “individual” is not a term used loosely here.
The end of the 1990s saw no stone left unturned. Full body suits, mastery of technique, and a flood of equipment developments made tattooing very popular among a huge cross section of our population. The tattoo scene has exploded around us and its great to see the world wide embrace of what was once a small tight-knit misunderstood subculture.
