tattoos-art?

Question

or vandalism?

Answer 1

I'm going to go ahead and play the religious card in my answer just because I know it will come up, and chances are someone will play that card the wrong way, so I'm going to nip it in the bud if I can.

I think it depends on the tattoo and the reason behind it. I think it's dumb when people get one just for the sake of getting one. But when it is done as a form of expression and it is meaningful to the person wearing it, it can be a very beautiful art form.

The bible says your body is a temple, and you should keep your temple clean, but I think that decorating your temple with beautiful inspirational pictures is acceptable. Throughout time, temples have been decorated with beautiful colors, and meaningful, inspirational imagery. Vandalism would be like scribbling on your temple just for the sake of scribbling something. I think it's the same with your body. I think that when you do things to your body just because you can, or to be cool, or to try to impress someone, and the things you scribble on your body don't have any special meaning to you, that is a lot like vandalism and when you get tired of the idiot crap you put on your body, you'll regret it later in life and blame yourself for being "young and stupid."

But if you put beautiful, meaningful works of art on your body, it's just like decorating your temple and the symbolism in those images will continue to touch your heart and inspire your soul for the rest of your life. Maybe they'll even inspire someone else or touch someone else's heart in passing.

Bottom line is, if it's not your body, it's not your business. It is not your place to say that tattoos are bad or evil or whatever. It is that person's business. It is between that person and their own conscience what is acceptable for them to do with their body.

I think when a person gets a bunch of tattoos just because, and the tattoos don't mean anything to that person, I think it makes that person look like an idiot who's trying to hard to be cool or something. But that's just my opinion, and if someone wants to go get a tattoo that doesn't mean anything to them, they just want to be cool, then I won't stop them. I think those people stick out like sore thumbs and they bring it upon themselves, and will do so regardless of what anyone else thinks anyway so it doesn't matter.

So to answer your question, I say both and the reason why is that it depends on the person and the tattoo and the reasons they did it.

Answer 2

Tattoos are just pictures. Pictures can be art, or they can be vandalism, and since I don't see a lot of tattoo artists drawing vulgar images (vandalising) on people, I'd say they are mostly art.

Answer 3

Well certainly not vandalism as that is a deliberately mischievous or malicious destruction or damage of property and not self-inflicted.

Tattoos are art, however not always artistic. It is an art form I am passionate about, though.

Answer 4

vandalism is usually done against the owners will. so i guess if somebody tattoos someone else and they don't want to be then it would be considered vandalism or more likely assault.

i tend to look at tattoos as art but not all tattoos are art. but i guess art is relative to who is judging it.

Answer 5

This case as in others...it's in the eye of the beholder. I have a few tattoos from my time in the Navy that I cherish because they're a reminder of events, good or bad. Some of my friends like them. My grandmother doesn't. I can sympathize with those who might say it's an abomination because you've marred what was designed without them and therefore doesn't need them. But you are the master of your own, so let 'em squawk.

Answer 6

Depends on the tattoo artist. =) But usually art.

Answer 7

art

Answer 8

art

Answer 9

Depends on the result. Generally, art, but mistakes do happen, and some people don't know when to quit either.

Answer 10

The finest form of art