When we think of the styles of art that have become popular over the centuries, cubism is definitely one of them. Cubism was very popular in the early 20th century and became a movement that revolutionized European painting and sculpture. The movement became so popular in fact, that it inspired many art styles and movements thereafter. Cubism has been often referred to as the most influential style of art during the 20th century. Inspired by cubism artists like Picasso and Georges Braque, two tattoo artists are set on bringing this beautiful art movement back into the limelight. Jade Tomlinson and Kev James are the two artists that make up Expanded Eye. This tattoo shop takes the most intimate and heartfelt stories that have impacted their customers and turns those meaningful stories into cubism art with a modern twist. Take a look at these beautiful pieces of art and the stories behind these Expanded Eye cubism tattoos below.
“Slovenian illustrator and puppet maker Zala’s tattoo is concerned with intuition and the power of the beautiful mind. Exploring the positive and negative aspects of the notion that, whilst we have the power to unconsciously dream things into life, at the same time we are able to paralyze ourselves with fear.”
“The leaves in the above piece symbolize the four members of Paolo’s family. Despite no longer being together physically and the sadness of dealing with this detachment, they will always be a part of one another.”
“The Cry of the Earth depicts our current man-made ecological crisis. As a lover of nature and active participant in his local ecological association, Noille contributes his efforts to halt mankind’s ever-increasing destruction of our natural environment.”
“This piece tells the tale of fox-girl Maren’s adventure across the north Atlantic to find her ultimate happiness in Iceland.”
“Juliane from Germany, having grown up on the sea, requested a piece to symbolize the unfortunate parting of ways of her ocean-obsessed parents. We depicted the circle of life as her mother, who she describes as an Esmerelda-esque traveling soul, and calm and quiet silver fox of a father, both of whom still live on the sea.”
“The tattoo and memories of his father are Illias’ survival guide for existence. Wishing to find a harmony between living in a modern city whilst experiencing his dependence to nature to its fullest, Illias hopes his tattoo will give him the energy to go on, pursuing the freedom his father gave to him.”
“The [above] piece serves as a reminder to Carlos that we need to fight to make the most of what we’ve been given. That involves exploring, discovering, participating, sharing and most importantly, being constantly curious about every detail of life.”
“This piece depicts Judith’s unconditional love for her identical twin sister and the complexities and importance of discovering one’s own identity as a twin. Judith learned to separate from the person she loves most in the world and affirm herself as a single being.”
“Namkha’s tattoo depicts an empowered woman/animal metamorphosing. The transformation symbolising the duality between the everyday woman and the ‘Creatura’, expressing the creative force carried throughout her life which gives her the strength to transcend herself.”
“We depicted Erik’s love for his girlfriend, who he described as his reason for living, as well as the happiness found through raising a glass to life and dreams with his nearest and dearest.“
“Fashion photographer Naura’s tattoo tells the story of a very personal and distressing incident in her life. The tattoo serves as a reminder of the decisions she has made, as she now begins a new chapter of her life. Feeling now as though she has been resurrected, emerging from the dark clouds that have been hanging over her for so long.”
“Each and every unique tattoo we create is our visual interpretation of concepts and stories provided by the client which hold significant meaning to the individual. We encompass as much personal detail as possible whilst allowing each design to evolve organically into a contemporary piece of art, which we then transfer from paper to skin.”
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The tattoo artist duo of Jade Tomlinson and Kev James at Expanded Eye sure have a unique way of expressing a story that is personal to the customer. They make these tattoos truly unique and I love them. The style may not be for everybody but one thing is for certain, these Expanded Eye cubism tattoos are one of a kind.