Banksy Tattoos Combine Graffiti with Body Art

Banksy is a British artist who is infamous for his striking graffiti artworks. His graffiti often has a deeper meaning, expressing Banksy's socio-political views in a powerfully public medium; street art. Banksy graffiti has become so popular that it is now a popular subject in tattoo designs.

Banksy's Girl with Butterflies Tattoo
One of Banksy's most popular graffiti art works is the image of a young girl in a dress holding a gun to her head. A swarm of butterflies is scattered across the design as though they have exploded from the girl's head. Banksy uses stencils to create his street art, which gives his images clarity and a strong silhouette. These design aspects translate well into tattoo designs; giving the tattoo an instant appeal.

Above: The red butterflies stand in stark contrast to the solid black areas used to create the girl. Like all of Banksy's graffiti designs, the girl blowing butterflies combines aspects of human nature such as hope, violence, beauty and death. [source]

Banksy's Girl with a Heart Balloon

Banksy often carries a theme through a series of images, expressing the same idea in a number of ways. Like Banksy's girl with butterflies graffiti piece, his girl with a heart balloon design incorporates aspects of humanity such as innocence, hope and loss.

Above: Another of Banksy's graffiti art works that uses black and red as the color scheme. The simplicity of the design and the innocent nature of the subject make Banksy's girl with a heart balloon a popular graffiti tattoo design choice. [source]

Banksy's Man throwing Flowers Tattoo

This Banksy graffiti piece of a man throwing flowers has become an internationally renowned art work. The stencilled graffiti shows a man with a scarf covering his mouth, poised to throw a bunch of flowers. Exposure to news networks means that the brain expects a man in this pose to be holding an object of violence such as a petrol bomb. Instead, Banksy has chosen to have the man throw a bunch of flowers - an object that is generally associated with peace and beauty.

Above: Banksy's powerful graffiti art work makes an equally powerful statement when tattooed onto skin. The large area of solid black ink adds drama to the graffiti tattoo while balancing out the detailed delicacy of the flowers. [source]

Tattoo of Banksy's Rat Painting a Heart

Rats are a recurring theme in Banksy's graffiti art. While most people view rats with disgust, Banksy has chosen to humanize rats by giving them human characteristics. In his popular graffiti piece of a rat painting a heart, Banksy has personified the rat by putting it in a human situation (showing it wielding a paintbrush), and insinuating that the rat has human emotions such as hope and yearning (expressed by the use of a heart as the subject matter of the rat's painting).

Above: The dark area on top of the rat's head is reminiscent of a beret, a hat that has often been worn by French bohemian artists. Whether this was intentional or not, the effect remains the same; adding yet more humanity to a creature that is often reviled by humans. [source]

Graffiti Tattoo of Banksy's Jesus Christ Christmas Shopping

Banksy's graffiti art works often comment on social, political or religious issues. By portraying Jesus Christ in the crucifixion pose holding shopping bags filled with Christmas presents, Banksy has highlighted the disassociation between religion and religious practices.

Above: Banksy's designs often seem both well thought out and spontaneous in their construction. In his graffiti art work of Jesus Christ Christmas shopping, the degradation of religion through materialism is expressed in the way that the design appears to be melting. This may have been a spontaneous addition to the design to drive the message home. [source]

With their strong lines and powerful meanings, Banksy's graffiti art works translate easily into tattoos designs. Banksy has done more than any other modern artist to inspire curiosity and criticism in the younger generation, and is the first graffiti artist to have won such international acclaim.

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10 Paintings by Adolf Hitler

Hitler is known for being one of the most evil and murderous men in Jewish history. Yet few people know that he also produced a large amount of paintings, focusing on flowers, landscapes and cathedrals.

Adolf Hitler, Dictator of the Holocaust
Adolf Hitler, failed dictator of Germany during World War II, produced a variety of oil and watercolor paintings. In addition to being responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of people, including the genocide of six million Jews, Hitler was an artist who used cathedrals and flowers as subject matter for many of his paintings.

"Dianthus", a fine art painting by Adolf Hitler. This painting is surprising to many, as the feminine, gentle flowers don't reveal the cruelty of the man who painted them. Many of Adolf Hitler's paintings were like this; weak in composition and lacking in any vibrant visual appeal.

This painting by Adolf Hitler is called simply, "Roses". Although Hitler was not a great artist, his paintings are not terrible either. However, there is a level of insecurity and immaturity in this painting. Hitler has forgotten to add a shadow beneath the pot, which is a commonly a child's mistake. While the flowers seem finished, the pot seems to have been hurriedly plonked into the scene without any finishing touches such as shows, highlights and reflections. A more careful and skilled painter would not have made these mistakes.

Adolf Hitler's Failed Art Career

Before becoming involved in politics, Hitler applied several times to The Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, hoping to further his artistic career. He was turned down each time, and was forced to live on the streets, selling paintings to tourists and exchanging them in restaurants for meals.

Hitler called this painting, "Cathedral in Vienna". Hitler's paintings of architecture sometimes had more detail and contrast between light areas and shadows than his still life paintings. 

"Mother Mary with the Holy Child Jesus Christ". Hitler's paintings of Mary and Jesus has caused a lot of controversy among Christians. Hitler himself was a Christian, yet he was the creator of much misery and despair during the Second World War. He has been held responsible for the deaths of millions of Jews, gypsies and people from other social sects that Hitler didn't deem worthy of being included in his future Germany.

Many of HItler's paintings portrays the scenery that he encountered during his military campaigns around Europe. When Adolf Hitler opened his own art museum, he very sternly rejected modern art, favoring classical styles over the more adventurous and sometimes brutish modern art styles, yet in the painting above, the style is more akin to the Impressionists; a modern art movement that rebels against classical art styles.

Not only are these paintings unique because of their infamous painter, they also give us a view into the past; showing us buildings and fashions from Hitler's time.

Before becoming involved in politics, Adolf Hitler used to paint pastoral scenes which he sold to tourists. Many of these paintings included churches, farm buildings and farmland; the kind of scenes that people might want to look at in their living room.

Adolf Hitler was known for using a variety of different paints, so he didn't just stick to oil painting or watercolor painting. This makes his art works even more difficult to authenticate. It is believed by many art professionals that some of Hitler's paintings that have previously been sold for a lot of money may in fact be fakes.

Note the difference in styles between each of Hitler's paintings. It is possible that this painting, or any one of the others, is a fake because Hitler didn't have a distinctive, recognisable style.

It's crazy to think that the man who painted this peaceful, gentle landscape was responsible for so much pain, horror and death during WWII. 

Fake Hitler Paintings

The authenticity of Hitler’s paintings is often hard to prove, as he seldom mentioned the paintings by name or description in his correspondence and diaries. His friend, Reinhold Hanisch, sold fake Hitler paintings during the fuehrer’s reign over Germany, an act that Hitler did not approve of. During Hitler’s youth, Hanisch pushed him to create a painting per day, a grueling pace which otherwise managed to feed them each evening. 

Adolf Hitler's signature appears to have changed as he matured, and so it is possible that some painting that are believed to be the work of Adolf Hitler, were actually forgeries or fakes.

This is Hitler's signature on an authentic, verified sketch by Adolf Hitler

This is the signature that Adolf Hitler used on official documents, which is completely different from the signature that he used on his art works.

It's possible that Adolf Hitler was simply trying to sign his name in an impressionist style to match the painting, but this signature is considered by many to be fake, and paintings that bear this signature are often suspected to be forgeries.

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Sedlec Ossuary: The Gothic Church of Human Bone

Tens of thousands of human skeletons adorn the walls and ceiling of Sedlec Ossuary, a Roman Catholic chapel in a small suburb of the Czech Republic.

The Roman Catholic chapel, Sedlec Ossuary, is home to between 40,000 and 70,000 human skeletons. These skeletons have been used to decorate the church with bone chandeliers, skeletal arches and large “bells”; piles of human bones with a hollow centre.

Above: Close-up of a’ bone bell’, showing the hollow which extends through the base of each bell. These bells contain the bulk of the human remains within Sedlec Ossuary. The bells sit in each corner of the ossuary, a testament to mass human suffering.

Above: Close-up of one of the many skull and cross bones within the ossuary.

The History of Sedlec Ossuary

In 1278, Abbot Henry of the Cistercian Monastery in Sedlec was sent to Palestine, considered by the Catholic Church as the Holy Land. He returned with a small amount of soil from Golgotha, which he scattered over the soil of the abbey cemetery. Because of this pious act, the graveyard soon became a popular burial ground for central Europeans.

Above: A chalice made from human bones stands on a pedestal in Sedlec Ossuary, framed by skull and crossed bones motifs.

A gothic chapel was built on the grounds of the cemetery between 1282 and 1320. A large vault, or ossuary, was built to house the bones that were exhumed during the excavation process.

Above: A depiction of Jesus Christ on the cross is surrounded by antique bones.

In the 14th century, the black plague ravaged central Europe, leaving thousands dead. It is believed that tens of thousands of bodies found a resting place within the holy burial ground of the monastery. The chapel later suffered a massive blow after a fire burnt everything but the outer walls.

Above: It is claimed that this chandelier contains every bone in the human body and was made from several skeletons.

Construction continued for many years, with a new entrance being added and the upper chapel being rebuilt in the early 18th century.
In 1870, The Schwarzenberg family hired a woodcarver, František Rint, to organize the heaps of bones that had collected in the Sedlec ossuary. In an attempt to give the bones a sense of order, Rint created artistic, macabre creations with the bones.

Above: The Schwarzenberg family coat of arms; created by Rint to honor his commissioners.

Above: Detail of the Schwarzenberg family coat of arms.

Above: Some of Rint’s creations are inexplicable. It is said that he attempted to portray the inevitability of mortality through his work.

Above: Rint’s creativity is apparent in this creation in which he has used a cracked human bone to create the bird’s head.

Sedlec Ossuary in the 21st Century

The Church of Bone, situated an hour’s travel outside Prague in the Czech Republic, in the province of Kutna Hora, is a popular tourist attraction that is listed in many tour guides.

Above: A statue of a cherub, a Christian figure of a baby angel, sits on top of an unlikely pedestal in the church of bone.

The ossuary has been featured on “Ripley”s Believe It Or Not’, and was used as a location for the Dungeons and Dragons movie. Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman visited the church in their documentary, “Long Way Round”.

Click here for a 360° view of the Sedlec Ossuary.


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Celebrity Optical Illusions

Optical illusions of people who have become famous throughout the ages, including Jesus Christ, Einstein, Marilyn Monroe and Barack Obama.

Optical illusions take many forms – sometimes an image is hidden in a series of lines or dots, sometimes two images are included in the same picture and can only be seen if you change they way that you look at the artwork.


Jesus Christ Optical Illusions

The image of Jesus Christ has been used as the subject matter for many optical illusions. Take a look at these and see if you can find Jesus. (For the vertical line optical illusion, move away from your monitor to see the image).

Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein was a 20th century scientist and philosopher who is famous for his theory of relativity. Take a look at the picture of his below. Can you see Albert Einstein or Marilyn Monroe? (Hint - move back from the screen)

Marilyn Monroe

Test yourself to see if you can find the famous actress, Marilyn Monroe, in the picture below. (Hint – Move away from your screen and focus on the center of the image until Marilyn emerges.)

President Barack Obama

Stare at the center of the optical illusion image and then look at a bright, flat surface such as a wall to see a picture of the US president Barack Obama.

George W. Bush

Can you see the words “peace” and “war” in the first picture of George Bush? The second picture doesn’t contain a picture of George W Bush, but the images, when seen together, create an illusion of his face.

Scarlett Johansson

Move away from your screen and stare at the center of the image below to see an image of the beautiful actress and model, Scarlett Johansson.

Elvis Presley

Focus on the cross in the center of the screen for a while and then look at a bright, flat surface like a wall to see an afterimage of the Rock and Roll King, Elvis Presley.

Brad Pitt

Hollywood heart throb Brad Pitt is hiding somewhere in this image.

Homer Simpson

Famous loser dad Homer Simpson, from the hit animated TV series “The Simpsons” isn’t actually pictured here. The collection of other character images gives the illusion of Homer’s face.

Johnny Depp

To see Johnny Depp in the image below, focus on the center of the image and move away from your screen.

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Hundreds of Mummies Discovered in Mexican Graves

The Mummies Museum, El Museo De Las Momias, in Guanajato, Mexico, is home to over 100 hundred human mummies. The mummification was "accidental"; the bodies were not embalmed before death, but were mummified naturally after burial.

Above: The bodies in the Mummies Museum are displayed behind glass, creating an environment that helps to preserve the integrity of the human remains. As you can see in the picture above, many of the mummies are displayed in a standing position, creating an eerie effect for visitors. [source]

Mexico's Cholera Epidemic 

In 1833, Mexico suffered a cholera epidemic. Thousands of Mexican men, women and children fell victim to the plague. The law at the time stated that a grave tax had to be paid by the family of the deceased. If the grave tax was not paid, the human remains would be disinterred; dug up and stored, until the tax had been paid.
For the deceased who had no living relatives to pay the grave tax, this meant that between the years of 1865 and 1958, their bodies were exhumed and stored by the government. It was discovered that soil conditions and a dry climate in the area had naturally mummified many of the human corpses. In the early 1900s, these bodies became a tourist attraction, and cemetery workers began charging tourists an entrance fee to view the bodies. Many of the bodies have been reduced to little more than skin and bone, yet many of them still have facial features and expressions and even clothing, as the mummification process occurred before disintegration could begin.

Above: Some of the mummies are displayed in glass coffins, which keep the bodies dry and allow visitors to view the mummified remains. The bodies have not rotted under the ground. Instead they have dried out and become mummified. [source]

Above: The mummies are frozen in the position that they were buried in. Bent limbs mean the body slid around inside the coffin before burial. After being dug up by the Mexican government, the mummies were stored in warehouses while the government waited for burial taxes to be paid. The bodies that are displayed in El Museo De Las Momias are mummies who have no relatives to pay the grave tax for them. [source]

Buried Alive

Several of the mummies on display bear evidence of being buried alive. There were so many bodies to bury during the cholera epidemic that several sick and dying people were buried before they had died. Their faces have frozen, post-mortem, into a rictus of agony and despair. Some of those who were buried alive covered their faces with their arms, and others bear scratch marks on their bodies, caused by their struggle to escape their graves. These mummies create a macabre and creepy display.

Above: This mummy shows evidence of being buried alive. Having woken up in a mass grave, this person curled into a ball, covering their face with their hands. The mummy appears to be screaming or crying, an effect caused by the skin of the lips pulling away from the mouth as it dries. [source]

Mummified by Mistake

Not all of the corpses were caused by the cholera outbreak. Ignacia Aguilar suffered from a heart condition that caused her heart to stop for several hours at a time. One infliction of her condition caused her heart to stop for longer than usual. Presuming her to be dead, her family had her buried. After being disinterred, her body was found to be positioned in an unusual way. Aguilar had raised her arm to her face and had bitten into the flesh of her wrist. There was blood in her mouth and scratch marks on her forehead. It has been presumed that upon discovering herself buried alive and trapped, Ignacia Aguilar attempted to commit suicide. 

Above: Ignacia Aguilar, one of the most famous of the Museo De Las Momias mummies. This photo shows how Ignacia tried to commit suicide by biting into her wrists. [source]

Child Mummies

Mummies of children are rare, as most embalmed mummies are adults. El Museo De Las Momias houses a number of child mummies who were mummified naturally. Many of the child mummies still have their burial dress on, and while some appear to be peacefully at rest, others seem to despair at their state of mummification.

Above: A collection of child mummies at El Museo De Las Momias. These creepy displays attract thousands of visitors each year. [source]

Above: This mummified baby looks like a macabre doll. This infant mummy is part of a display that makes up the world's largets collection of child and infant mummies. [source]

Although only 2% of the exhumed corpses had undergone mummification, the Accidental Mummies of Guanajuato is still one of the largest exhibitions of natural mummification in the world. These mummies can be viewed at the Mummies Museum, El Museo De Las Momias, in Guanjuato, Mexico.

If you find these petrified people fascinating or just plain creepy, there's more skeletons in the closet in the article: Sedlec Ossuary: The Gothic Church of Human Bone

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