JOLLY DAYS

Tree of Life Tattoo

I've often thought that Van Gogh's exposure to art through the engravings available to him were central to his stylistic flourishes. I've always been a fan of 19th century engravings. The style is often hard-edged, linear by definition, sometimes heavy-handed in delineation. Engravings often have a storytelling center that works well, but their all over quality can be tiring and feel obsessive. They do have their charm though.

Such engravings are something of a model for many tattoo artists — often through the filter of comics and contemporary illustration. Carl Zimmer, on his science blog, noted this zoologist's markings — a Tree of Life. Better than most.

Here is a DNA Tree of Life.

Here is a biochemist's tattoo of an earlier depiction of the Tree of Life.