Also noted: I know that tattoo's have been around for almost 1000+ years -- I just want to know, with it's growing popularity -- would you consider it to have it's own category?
A tough question - first off I would state that I am in no way an authority on things like this. So I'll give you my thoughts, but I do not presume that my opinion on this subject is worth more than anyone else's (but don't get too comfortable with that, as I do presume that I'm right on most other subjects. Kidding. Sorta).
The question really is about how we define art - Is it craft? Philosophy? Is the role that it plays for us the same role that it played in previous generations?
I would point out that in the medieval and early Renaissance periods, painting and sculpture were seen as craft – creative forms that were inferior to music and poetry. The artists of the Renaissance (most notably Leonardo and Michelangelo) worked hard to change that attitude. For them, skill and elegance were enough to prove their media’s significance.
Things are a bit more vague with us. We are surrounded by so much visual stimulus that it becomes difficult to separate art for non-art. This is made all the more difficult by the fact that some artists (Warhol, Johns, etc.) use what many would consider to be non-art in the production of works that most would consider to be art. The whole point was to confuse the separation between the two.
Generally, one of the differences between art and illustration is that illustration tends to be more straightforward – obviously because the viewer is SUPPOSED to get the point the image. Art (at least in our age) tends to be more ambiguous. This is why I don't consider someone like Thomas Kinkade to be an “artist”. It has nothing to do with his execution – which is skilled in its own way. There is just no mystery – no challenge to the mind.
I suppose that there is an analogy between this and music. The kids on American Idol sing well enough, I suppose - and the whole thing is quite popular (I've never seen the show, so I only know what I see on commercials and from media reports). But is that art? Are they examining our concepts of music? Are they advancing our knowledge of the human experience?
Art is separate from our likes and dislikes. There are many things that I hate but consider to be art. Likewise, there are many things that I love, that mean something to me, but I don’t believe them to be art.
But to your question on tattoos – I don't see why tattoos could not be art, but I have not encountered anything that makes me think that they are. I suppose that I have a similar reaction to fashion. These things are immensely important to some people, but have made only a cursory impact on the art-world-at-large.
That said, I do feel that things are changing. Many young artists, today, are more influenced by tattoos and skateboard designs than they are by the established art canon. I could imagine someone staging some kind of installation art piece that involves multiple tattooed bodies. In fact, I would not be surprised to hear that several artists have already done something like this. My question would be then – are the tattoos the art or is it about the installation.
If I were in that conversation with your coworker, I would ask them to explain what they consider to be art. Then you can use their definition to support your own argument.
But as I said – I am not the best person to ask on this question. I've always felt that an artist’s work should be much more interesting than they are. Body art just attracts too much attention, so I've avoided it.
Do you remember that episode of Seinfeld where Jerry went with George to the glasses store? When George asked him what he thought, Jerry (looking at all of the advertisements with people wearing glasses) replied, “I think that all of these women would be pretty good-looking if they weren't wearing glasses”.
That pretty much sums up my response when I see a tattoo magazine – “I bet all of these women would be pretty good-looking if it wasn't for all of those tattoos”.
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