Tattoo Ideas

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I had been to a friend a short while ago and, though I don't generally take note of such things, I was fascinated by his decor. The style was something he described as steam punk, a sort of futuristic Victorian, which sounded like it came straight from Jules Verne, a a little like Captain Nemo meets Robur the Conqueror, all shining brass, leather, futuristic technology, and clockwork. My friend's version was a lot more 'Indiana Jones', with his steamer trunk table, assortment of fascinating artifacts, sculpture and intriguing ancient wall reliefs.  It went together with his house, originally built in the 1920's and created a warm, intriguing inside well suitable for his huge collection of books.

My house is rather more contemporary, so when I considered ways of decorating my living area (something I was told was 'up to me') I rejected the steam punk concept. Although I'm no interior designer I can tell that a certain harmony between interior and outside is useful. While contemporary houses are roomy they are often really dull, then i realized this gave me more scope to stamp my character on the room, and that thought gave me the idea to make use of wall art and wall sculptures to give my room some individuality, but what would work best?

Old Greek structures were not what we see today. Most people understand that they were beautiful buildings which stood, in many cases for centuries, before suffering damage we see now, but did you  know that they were once multi-colored?  You probably would not think so to examine the remains inside a museum. I used to take my lunch while admiring the huge Assyrians gateways in the British Museum in London,  just near room 18, home of the 'Elgin marbles'. These famous sculptures were stripped away from the Parthenon in the first years of the 19th century by Earl of Elgin,  the Greek government continues trying to get them back again.  The sculptures are stark, white and intensely stunning, exactly what we think of whenever we consider 'classical art' yet exactly what would the ancients have thought of these? Euripides provide us with a clue in his play 'Helen of Troy' when Helen says 'If only I could shed my beauty and assume an uglier aspect, the way you wipe paint off a statue'. Those beautiful marble statues in their sparkling white were once vibrant and colorful. So different from what we see today and connect with the ancient world, it's truly difficult to envision.

We all look at the ancient gods as abstract, consequently historical wall sculptures like Poseidon in his chariot are 'classical' and perfectly at home in the modern room. It was only at the Renaissance that, finding ancient statues removed of their paint by time, the sculptors believed they'd originally been white marble, and set out to emulate them.   In antiquity the Greeks believed in living breathing Gods;their statues had been colored brightly in order to indicate that. While we admire the amazing craftsmanship of the Parthenon sculptures the ancients admired their lifelike quality so much so it was said that at certain times of the day it was as though the gods in their friezes actually moved. The statues and painting techniques were designed to bond and boost the three dimensional quality of the stone, bringing the subject to life. Archaeologist Vinzenz Brinkmann is working hard to analyse ancient sculpture and build authentic reproductions. These, complete with complex paint techniques and colors are as close as it can be to those found in ancient times and the final results are fascinating; the ancient world won't ever seem the same again.

What exactly should I do? I could decide on time-honored Greek wall art that will create a modern room, making my choice on a basis of symbolism. Hercules wrestling the lion might emphasize that even if my todo list is a bit lengthy, it isn't the Labours of Hercules, while Dionysus on a donkey would point out to me that the point of work is to fund the fun to come. As an inhabitant of the ” new world ” I could choose Mayan wall reliefs, but I believe my selection will be more ancient still. From Ramses who drove out the Hittites at the Battle of Kadesh, to the concept of Maat,  goddess of justice and order, the wall sculptures from the Ancient Egyptians have an endless enchantment. We're more familiar with coloration in relation to Egypt, and hence see these more as they really were, striking and remarkable in the desert sunlight.

For my Bedroom the main choice is obvious; Thoth, the god of writing and wisdom, to keep me right always!