Biomechanical art (also called Biomech) is a
surrealistic
Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...
style of art that combines elements of machines with organics. Rendered with distinct
realism, biomechanical art expresses an internal
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures.
The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
world, most typically represented with human or animal anatomy where bones and joints are replaced with metal pistons and gears, but infused with muscles and tendons.
Biomechanical art was popularized in 1979 when Swiss artist
H. R. Giger
Hans Ruedi Giger ( ; ; 5 February 1940 – 12 May 2014) was a Swiss artist best known for his airbrushed images that blended human physiques with machines, an art style known as " biomechanical". He was part of the special effects team that won ...
designed the alien creatures in the 1979 feature film ''
Alien''.
Biomechanical tattoo art
After the popularity of
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English film director and producer. He directs films in the Science fiction film, science fiction, Crime film, crime, and historical drama, historical epic genres, with an atmospheric and highly co ...
's 1979 movie ''
Alien'',
tattoo
A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing processes ...
artists began tattooing images taken directly from the movie, and from artist
H. R. Giger
Hans Ruedi Giger ( ; ; 5 February 1940 – 12 May 2014) was a Swiss artist best known for his airbrushed images that blended human physiques with machines, an art style known as " biomechanical". He was part of the special effects team that won ...
's
''Necronomicon'' series. As the biomechanical tattoo art style became increasingly popular, tattoo artists such as
Guy Aitchison and
Aaron Cain began designing their own original, biomechanical art, creating one of the most popular contemporary tattoo art movements.
See also
*
LED tattoo
Notes
References
*
External links
H.R. Giger Official websiteDavid H. Frantz Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Biomechanical Art
Visual arts genres