It's not so easy in life to illustrate contrasts. Sometimes, given our situation or our biases, we may not even be able to recognize them. Things like riches and poverty aren't even directly juxtaposed, but rather, their effects: poor health versus good health, beauty and art compared to a lack of such things...
Contrast is found in every setting imaginable. It seems we cannot live long without finding a conundrum with opposing arguments that somehow combine to make life beautiful. In society: rich and poor, failure and success, health and illness, luxury and need.
We can learn from studying the contrasts and contradtictions in one person. Someone may, for example, be notoriously outspoken in many situations, and startlingly silent in others. Sometimes it is only one element that is changed, perhaps a participating member. It is in studying people that we see that mind-boggling contradictions are caused by a single motivation.
Contrast is found in every setting imaginable. It seems we cannot live long without finding a conundrum with opposing arguments that somehow combine to make life beautiful. In society: rich and poor, failure and success, health and illness, luxury and need.
We can learn from studying the contrasts and contradtictions in one person. Someone may, for example, be notoriously outspoken in many situations, and startlingly silent in others. Sometimes it is only one element that is changed, perhaps a participating member. It is in studying people that we see that mind-boggling contradictions are caused by a single motivation.
In this example, we may think that the motivation is a need for attention, which is why in situations when the person is quiet we are perplexed. Perhaps it is more a desire to make others look foolish in order to look better, a will to look smart and witty with quick comments, or a wish to be in the role of the leader. If we add a certain element--be it a person, place, atmosphere--the desire will manifest itself in different way. Perhaps the subject knows that the added person (especially of the opposite sex) likes the 'strong and silent type'. It is still a symptom of the desire to look like a leader, to look more appealing.
But enough with theoretical examples, I don't want to use up too much pretentiousness today.
I had been thinking of getting a tattoo. Before I decided to hold off, however, I thought out a rough idea of what I wanted to be inked with.
PhoenixBird of death, destruction, hatred, war, and chaos... followed by a rebirth of peace, love, and innocence.
Red is an angry color, having the same virtues as the poenix in full force. It symbolizes anger and hatred, but also represents passion, which would be perfect for my tattoo background meaning--passion that L, my significant other opened me to (more than others in the past), and that brings success to almost everything.I liked the idea of having the flames of the phoenix 'melt' into waves of water. (like the drawing above) Blue is an 'opposite' to red, calming, relaxing, harmonious. Water has the same qualities, cooling, healing, life, peace. The juxtaposition of the red flames and blue water would serve to exaggerate the contrast between the two, if done right.
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