Spherical People and Fornasetti's muse
Tattoo from @notattoo_berlin made in @visionsofecstasy.studio
— Jorge
This image is drawn from one of my favorite—and lesser-known—myths: Aristophanes’ tale in Plato’s The Symposium about how humans were once whole, spherical beings split by Zeus. It’s a timeless reflection on love and identity. But I have to give a nod to where the inspiration really started: it wasn’t originally my own idea to tattoo these spherical people. One of my long-time clients, Vale, who’s very dear to me and has done several tattoos with me before, came to me wanting a design based on this exact myth.
At first, I drew up a few different sketches for her, but she just didn’t quite feel they were right for her. Even though that design wasn’t a fit at the time, I loved the idea so much that I kept it in my portfolio. And then along came Joana, another wonderful client, who saw that drawing and felt it was perfect for her leg tattoo.
So really, it’s a bit of a tribute to Vale, who brought this beautiful myth into our conversation in the first place. Thanks to her, I got to merge that ancient story with the Fornasetti-inspired art and create something really special. It’s amazing how these ideas travel from one person to another and end up turning into art that carries a little bit of everyone’s story.
J
The face of the opera singer Lina Cavalieri, Piero Fornasetti's muse.
@notattoo_berlin tattoo done in @visionsofexctasy Studio
Read more about Plato’s “Spherical People” myth (Aristophanes’ speech in The Symposium):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symposium_(Plato)#Aristophanes'_speechExplore the original Fornasetti plates:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/290974825858245239/Overview of Piero Fornasetti and his surrealist design work:
https://www.fornasetti.com/us/en/pages/about-piero-fornasetti.htmlModern queer readings of the Symposium myth:
https://www.lgbtqreligiousarchives.org/profiles/platos-symposium-and-same-sex-loveAcademic article on myth, fragmentation, and queer identity:
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/623782 (via GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies)The legacy of Aristophanes’ myth in contemporary queer theory:
https://daily.jstor.org/the-ancient-greek-origin-of-soulmates/