Tattooed Artist

Tattooed Artist
Dennis Revitzky

Artist Biography
Acquisition Number: 2024.3
Medium: Linocut on Rives lightweight paper
Size: 20 x 16 in.
Date: 2009
Credit: Gift of the artist

Revitzky mainly works in linocuts, hand-pulling his prints in small editions. His work aims to evoke a feeling of mystery, where the familiar is recognized, yet some aspects seem a little strange. "Tattooed Artist" was made in 2009 but Revitzky had been developing the idea for years prior. In the work, Revitzky portrays himself covered in tattoos of famous, historical artworks such as Van Gogh's "Starry Night" and Edvard Munch's "The Scream." He has often depicted famous historical art in his work as a way to pay homage to the contributions of their artists. "Tattooed Artist" shows an appreciation for traditional, historical art, and was later revisited alongside a character (Techno-Man) representing contemporary art made with technology and AI to highlight the contrast between the two. The self-portrait in "Tattooed Artist" depicts the familiar and ordinary, while the tattoos add the surreal, humorous element that Revitzky was aiming for. Revitzky's linocuts are made with oil-based inks on Rives lightweight paper, and are printed by hand using a wooden spoon. Colors are achieved with only one or two blocks in which the image is cut into and printed using the reduction method, and some colors are printed using a stencil technique. Often, modeling paste is used on certain areas of the linoleum to create textural effects. After the paste dries, it is sanded and sealed with acrylic medium before being inked. Besides this version of "Tattooed Artist," Revitzky made several linocut monoprints from the linoleum block and a drawing consisting of charcoal pencil and ink.