Play vs. Contemplation
Two gods who represent opposite forces. Apollo is structure, clarity, control. Dionysus is chaos, instinct, emotion.
I didn’t think much of it at first. The tattoo was for @coma_, done at Visions of Ecstasy, based on a painting of Apollo and Dionysus—an old theme I hadn’t connected with before. I just liked the image. But after the session, something stuck. I started thinking about the story behind it—two gods who represent opposite forces. Apollo is structure, clarity, control. Dionysus is chaos, instinct, emotion.
That contrast hit me. Once I saw it, I couldn’t unsee it. I ended up falling in love with the painting after the fact. The more I thought about it, the more I saw myself in it—that constant pull between staying grounded and wanting to let go. Nietzsche used Apollo and Dionysus to explain the two sides of art, and really, the two sides of being human. That idea turned the tattoo into something more. It wasn’t just a design anymore—it became a mirror. Not just a myth, but something a lot of us carry quietly: trying to keep it all together, while something inside wants to come undone. That tension lives in the image now, and maybe in the person wearing it too.
Jorge
links of interest:
Explore the original painting:
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/4AxRnJorgeOverview of Apollo and Dionysus in Greek mythology (World History Encyclopedia):
https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1801/apollo-and-dionysus-the-two-gods-of-art/Apollo vs. Dionysus – summary of Nietzsche’s theory (The School of Life):
https://www.theschooloflife.com/article/nietzsche-and-the-apollonian-and-dionysian/Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy – Nietzsche's Apollo/Dionysus concept:
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nietzsche/Dionysian archetype in art, ritual, and psychology (Jung Platform):
https://www.jungplatform.com/article/the-dionysian-archetypeVisual depictions of Apollo and Dionysus in classical and modern art:
https://www.wikiart.org/en/paintings-by-theme/mythology-apollo-and-dionysus