A Tattoo Fit For a Museum

Considering that Nikko Hurtado made an enormous announcement this morning—read here if you have yet to hear the big news—it was only fitting to choose an epic back piece of his for Tattoo of the Day.

This gigantic tattoo wouldn’t look out of place if it was on display at the Met or the Louvre, perhaps because Hurtado drew his inspiration for the tattoo from a classical source. The back piece is inspired by a statue called the Pietà by Michelangelo. Located at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City the statue, which happens to be the only piece of art that Michelangelo actually signed, depicts Mary holding the lifeless body of Jesus Christ.

For the tattoo Hurtado focused only on Mary’s grieving face. By turning his attention to such a small part of the original statue Hurtado is able to bring out every intricate detail that Michelangelo carved into the marble over 500 years ago.

Perhaps the most impressive part of this tattoo is that it truly looks as if the man upon which it is tattooed were made out of marble and the work was carved out of his back. Of course, we shouldn’t be surprised at seeing such technical proficiency from Hurtado. Photo-realistic tattoos that force you to do a double take have been Hurtado’s bread and butter throughout his career. However, this tattoo is especially interesting because it lacks the bright colors that occur in the majority of his work.

This tattoo is not the only time that Hurtado has done a “Michelangelo related” tattoo—albeit this tattoo is not of the Renaissance master but of a hero in a half shell.

You can see more of Hurtado’s work here and here. You can also learn about Hurtado’s big announcement in this exclusive interview.