Digital Notebook

FINE ART AND TATTOOS

Initial drawings exploring the relationship between fine art imagery and tattoos

ARTISTS

Fabio Viale

'It is a meeting between life and death, between the sacred and the profane. A combination, the relationships between these two sets, results in a solid bond that creates energy: The preconception we have of classical beauty and the hardness inherent in a certain type of criminal tattoo provoke gasp and wonder - Fabio Viale

Italian sculptor Fabio Viale inks his marble reproductions of iconic sculptures with heavy scenes of ancient stories, swirling waves, and foreboding clouds. Each vine, flower, and dragon-based composition is settled on a darkened backdrop that tends to envelop an entire back, leg, or shoulder, triggering an uncommon amalgam of material and form.

Viale doesn’t paint the marble but rather infuses an arm or chest with color and pattern in a manner that’s similar to tattooing a human body. He collaborated with chemists to refine the blended technique and said that “not surprisingly, each natural material has its strong personality and difficulties connected to it.”

In comparison to the original Roman sculpture, Viale’s Laocoön is missing one boy on his right side. The main writhing figure is covered from mid-thigh up to his neck and down to his forearms with dark illustrations that include the seven deadly sins in “The Inferno,” which was painted by Giovanni da Modena in the 15th Century. Both the sculptor’s “Venus de Milo” and pair of hands are covered in code often found marked on Russian inmates.

Leo Caillard

He creates his most pertinent work called “Hipster in Stone” where he dresses up classical sculptures so that we can better comprehend the difference of times between the two historical periods. Society changes but the great human questions remain and that’s this belief that guides the core essence of Leo Caillard’ works.

With cropped pants, ray bans, and plaid shirts turn the stone figures into fashionably dressed characters. ‘who is to say that the figures presented in the stone of greek agora were not the greatest representation of the human form known at that time,’ caillard describes. ‘the statues, with their clothes stripped away reveal a magnificence of shape and balance. but what were the greeks wearing when they weren’t posing for sculptors? appearance, in all its many nuances, presents character. one’s dress sense indicates one’s priorities, choices, lifestyle — are you ‘in’ or are you ‘out’? hipster or classic? which tribe are you a member of? which tribe we the men posing for these statues from? hipsters in stone presents a twist on these themes — take the ultimate from the classic world and add a modern, contemporary twist.’

MYTHOLOGY

ZEUS RESEARCH

Zeus was hidden in a cave by his mum to save him from his dad Cronus who ate all of his children as one was predicted to overthrow him
Zeus poisoned his dads wine to kill him which resulted in his siblings being regurgetated. This included Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades and Poseidon as well as the cyclopes and the Hecatonchires - was then confronted bu the giants and typhon monster
Zeus controls the sky and the air
Metis, goddess of widom, was his first wife. In order to marry Helen, Zeus had to get rid of her so he transformed Metis into a fly and ate her. After this he got a severe headache. The only thing that worked to sooth the headache was splitting his head open with a double headed Minoan axe. This led to the birth of Athena who appeared from Zeus' open forehead
Zeus fell in love with his sister Hera, however she rejected his advances. He transformed himself into a cuckoo and sat outside her window to manipulate her and her love for animals. She took the cuckoo inside away from the cold and held it close to her breast. Zeus then transformed back into his human form and raped her. Ashamed of the exploit, Hera married Zeus.
Hera and Zeus had 4 children - Ares, God of war, Eileithyia, Goddess of childbirth, Hebe, God of eternal youth and Hephaestus, God of fire.
Often represented by a bull, eagle, swan, thunder bolt, olive tree, and oak leaves
Had a giant golden eagle as a pet called Aetos Dios
Would often be depicted with his Aegis (huge shield)

MONA LISA RESEARCH

The real Mona Lisa was Lisa del Giocondo who was born June 15th, 1479 in Florence, Italy
Born into an old and aristocratic family
Lived on one of the largest farms in Europe
Lisa's father was Antonmaria di Noldo Gherardini and her mother was Lucrezia del Caccia
She was the eldest of seven including three sisters and three brothers
Her and her family moved to Via Dei Pepi
On March 5th, 1495, at 15 years old, Lisa married Francesco di Bartolomeo di Zanobi del Giocondo, a sucessful cloth and silk merchant
They had a low dowry which indicated that they married for love and not for money
Together they had five children - Piero , Camilla, Andrea, Giocondo and Marietta
Unfortunately they lost their baby daughter in 1499
Lisa's saughters, Camilla and Marietta, both became nuns. This resulted in Lisa becoming more religious and buidling a relationship with covent Sant Orsola
Camilla died at age 18 and was buried in the Basilicadi Santa Maria Novella

THE BIRTH OF VENUS RESEARCH

The painting shows Goddess Venus arriving at the shore after her birth, emerging from the sea fully grown
A popular, traditional scene from Greek mythology
On the left side is wind god Zephyr and Aura, the personification of a light breeze
The figure on the right is one of the three Horae - minor Goddesses of the seasons and the divisions of time. They are also known as the attendants of Venus. Due to her floral dress, we can assume she is the Hora of Spring

VENUS