RUSSIAN TATTOOED NOBLEMAN is a Genuine Signed & Dated (1987) Ari Roussimoff Oil on Canvas Painting, measuring 18 x 21 inches. RUSSIAN TATTOOED NOBLEMAN is a portrait of a member of the old Russian Aristocracy. Before the current mass popularity of body art, tattooing in the last centuries has traditionally been associated with two social classes, the so-called peasant class, which included sailors and ruffians, and, on the other end of the social spectrum, the upper echelons of the aristocracy. Yes, among the tattooed were many a Monarch, Grand Duke, and Prince. The illustrious members of this decorated group included Czar Alexander III of Russia, Kaiser Franz Josef of Austria, Wilhelm of Germany, and King Frederick of Denmark. The gentleman depicted in this painting by Roussimoff reflects such a royal lineage, and his personage appears in more than one of the artist’s paintings. He sports Mutton Chops or Burnsides, a beard that was very popular in Russia from the 1800’s onward. His body boasts elaborate images of tattooing dragons, flowers, butterflies, and other fantastical images. His is an image that recalls characters in the great literary works of Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, and Chekov. This penetrating character study brings to life a classic Russian figure, who steps out from posterity into the here and now. A full colour reproduction of this painting appeared in an issue of “Tattoo Revue Magazine” in an article devoted to Tattoo Themed Paintings of Ari Roussimoff.
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