Tattoo Artist [Only Skin Deep] (1944) by Norman Rockwell #art #painting #artwork

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Norman Rockwell’s Tattoo Artist [Only Skin Deep] (1944) humorously captures the story of a sailor whose romantic escapades are literally written on his skin. Sitting stoically in a tattoo parlor, the man gets the name “Betty” inked on his arm, while a long list of previous lovers’ names, each neatly crossed out, traces the history of fleeting passions. His naval uniform hints at travels from port to port, and the mix of names suggests encounters with women from around the world. Rockwell uses the sailor’s weary expression and the tattoo artist’s focused intensity to show that this ritual of love and loss has become routine.

Behind the humor, the painting carries a deeper message about the impermanence of affection. The tattoos, meant to be permanent, instead mark the sailor’s pattern of temporary devotion. The wallpaper filled with traditional tattoo imagery, hearts, ships, banners reading “Mother” and “Faith”, adds a sentimental backdrop that contrasts with the sailor’s superficial romances, which are only skin deep.