TATTOO AS ORNAMENT

Ne glede na stopnjo civiliziranosti je malo takih ljudstev, pri katerih bi bila želja po ustvarjanju ornamentike povsem odsotna. »Ustvarjanje« je torej človekovo prvinsko hotenje. K tovrstnim prizadevanjem lahko najbrž pripišemo tudi tetoviranje obraza in telesa, k čemur so se kot prva zatekala barbarska ljudstva. Tetovatorstvo je fenomen, ki ga zasledimo v skorajda vseh državah sveta, in ki zaseda različne funkcije: terapevtsko, zaščitno (pred zlimi silami), družbeno razločevalno, estetsko (povečevanje privlačnosti), kazensko, vojaško, dekorativno, religijsko ter funkcijo obeleženja pomembnega dogodka in/ali osebe. Pri odkrivanju zgodovine tetovatorstva sem jemala v obzir evropski prostor, afriško in azijsko celino, Oceanijo ter Severno, Srednjo in Južno Ameriko. Osredotočala sem se na zgodovinski razvoj tetovatorstva kot obrti ter antropološke vidike le-tega. V skladu s cilji diplomske naloge sem iskala vzporednice med ornamentom določenega obdobja in takratnimi tetovatorskimi smernicami ter jih skušala predstaviti v čim bolj reprezentativnih primerih. Preko osebnih razgovorov z naročniki tetovaž (tetoviranci) in njihovimi izdelovalci (tetovatorji) sem dobila boljši vpogled v odnose med stranko in tetovatorjem ter na percepcijo končnega izdelka. Hkrati sem želela tetoviranje prikazati kot področje, ki je za umetnostno zgodovino še kako zanimivo. S spoznavanjem tetoviranja z zgodovinskega, antropološkega in praktičnega vidika sem prišla do zaključka, da se vloga in pomen tetovaž od kulture do kulture razlikujeta ter da značilnosti ornamentike določenega obdobja likovne umetnosti sovpadajo s smernicami tetoverske obrti istega obdobja. Obenem sem potrdila domnevo, da zahodna kultura tetoviranja danes ne obsoja kot zločinsko in nezaželeno početje v tolikšni meri kot v preteklih zgodovinskih obdobjih. Menim, da sem uspela orisati raziskovalni potencial, ki ga ima tetoverstvo znotraj umetnostnozgodovinske stroke – sploh v sodobnem kontekstu, ki je v smislu razgibane motivike in razvoja individualnih tetoverskih stilov zanimiv tako za oko laika kot akademika.Regardless of the level of cultural development there are but a few nations who lack the desire for ornamentation. “Creating” is therefore a man´s primal volition. Tattooing of the face and body can definitely be attributed to such volitions. It was first practiced by the barbaric tribes. Tattooing is a phenomenon that can be found in all the countries of the world and has various functions: therapeutic, protective (against evil spirits), distinguishing (social class), aesthetic (increasing attractiveness), punitive, military, decorative, religious and commemorative function (commemorating a person and/or event). When uncovering the history of tattooing, I investigated Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania, North America, Mesoamerica and South America. I focused on the historical evolution of tattooing as a craft and the anthropological aspects of tattooing. In accordance with the goals of my thesis, I searched for parallels between ornamentation in a certain era and tattoo trends of that time, then tried to show the most representative examples of this correlation. By personally interviewing tattooed clients and tattoo artists themselves, I have gained a better perspective of the client-tattooist relationship and of the perception of the finished product. At the same time I wanted to present tattooing as a field of interest for art history. By getting to know the history of tattooing from a historical, anthropological and practical standpoint I have come to a conclusion that the role and significance of tattoos differ from culture to culture. Ornamental characteristics of a certain era therefore coincide with tattoo trends of the same time. I have also confirmed the assumption that western culture no longer condemns tattooing as it has throughout the history. I believe I have managed to portray the research potential tattooing has in the art history sphere – especially in contemporary context which offers a wide variety of motifs and individual tattoo-making styles. These can be interesting for laymen and academics