With the swastika being a spiritual symbol for centuries, to see it depicted on the palms like this really reinforces that spiritual connection. While the diagonal swastika has gathered a negative stigma in the west, and justifiably so due to the perversion of the symbol, in this instance the diagonal symbol is needed to make the design complete when his hands are put together.
As you can see, if he had an upright swastika the center line would have disappeared in the crease between his hands.
1DeX6 sent in this photo to the hand tattoo gallery. According to the description it was done at Tattoo Мастерская Александра Ветрова, in Omsk, Russia.
Comments
21 responses to “Open hands”
beautiful.
Hahaha, no amount of exposition will makes it look anything less than a Nazi swastika. Upright – aw, beautiful. Tilted – ARGH, Whisky Tango! It’s unfortunate really. The tattoo itself looks quite rudimentary. There’s something “off” about the linework.
I don’t think what Jon P said is true at all. It’s up to individuals to chance their perception of the swastika, and if all you are able to see is a big fat nazi symbol than that says something about YOU.
I’m not a tattoo artist or anything but the lines look fine to me. It’s not the best quality photo.. maybe that’s the problem.
it’s down to an individual to either be offended by the symbol or not.
i do not find it offensive and i love the tattoo, very nice – from what i can see the lines look fine; however most hand tattoos always look a little “off” because they’re on the palms and the palms obv have many creases.
Unfortunately Gilly, those of us who can think beyond Nazi Germany’s usage of the symbol are in small numbers.
The lines on the swastika and the shading is a bit uneven, but it’s a palm, which are notoriously hard to tattoo.
I think if somebody were going to get a tattoo of a swastika with an offensive Natzi intention, it wouldn’t be done in such a beautiful design.
Then again…
Nazi’s are the last thing I think of when I see this tattoo. The floral design and use of red instead of black for the swastika are so far away from that image to me.
Man, you guys are so deep because you get it.
jon p i think the lines just look funky because their hands might be a bit curled up since they just had them done, but i agree something seems off about it.
It’s a palm tattoo ffs. It looks pretty good considering location.
Jon P, you sure know a thing or two about tattoos.. oh wait, no you don’t.
This person has really pretty hands… Oh, and the palm tattoo is nice too 🙂
Do they have kanji on their lower back as well?
Swastika of Kolovrat – a rising sun Symbol; a symbol of an eternal victory of Light over darkness and Eternal Life over death.
Fiery color symbolizes the Renaissance.
Thanks all for positive comments. ))
I think it’s absolutely beautiful.
I am normally in favor of the movement to reclaim the swastika, however with it diagonally and with the swastika itself not being at all ornate, it really does look like a nazi flag.
funny that your about taking it back yet you ignore the factor that it doesnt matter what way it is pointing…. its a symbol and a cross. thats it. the star of david doesnt change meanings due to it not being in the upright possition
The red and black enhances the Nazi association for me, especially with the diagonal placement. Seriously, I get that people want to “reclaim” the swastika, but this tattoo doesn’t help that movement. Like it or not, the fact is that for most Europeans and North Americans, the swastika will always remain a Nazi symbol. As Jon P said, no amount of explaining is going to change that visceral reaction.
Case in point: I frequently wear traditional Japanese clothing. Some traditional Japanese garments are decorated with swastikas (manji). Swastikas are a symbol of good fortune in Japan, but I live in North America. There are very limited situations in which I would wear such a thing outside Japan, not because I have a problem with manji, but because, even though a Japanese swastika is upright and left-facing rather than diagonal and right-facing, the swastika remains in most North American people’s minds, a Nazi symbol, and that is (a) not something I want to be associated with in anyone’s mind, and (b) going to make a lot of people extremely uncomfortable, and potentially expose me to violence.
Aside from all that, trying to deny the swastika’s Nazi associations is not necessarily a good thing. It’s a fact of history, one that we shouldn’t try to forget but should try to remember. And in any case, it’s just not a very convincing argument to claim that “it’s up to individuals to change their perception of the swastika, and if all you are able to see is a big fat Nazi symbol than that says something about YOU.” Symbols are very powerful things; that’s why they’re in such widespread use. And really, trying to claim there’s no Nazi association with the swastika is like getting a hammer, sickle and writing brush tattoo and going, “no, I’m not a supporter of the North Korean regime, I’m just a builder-farmer-calligrapher.”
^ gotta love people and their ignorance. and i dont mean you, i mean the society that will assume a symbol as hate, a cross at that.
yet a normal christian/catholic cross is not affiliated with rape or pedophilia
I understand the old Manji: blade of the Immortal symbol; But I do not get why he went with the Nazi color: red, black and white… … … He might have a hard time going to Israël…
Beuttyfull