Li's Tattoo Recalls Saint Exupéry

A tattoo means the most to the person who has endured the process.<br /><br />A tattoo often represents more than what meets the eye.<br /><br />I met Li along the <a href="http://www.njtransit.com/hp/hp_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=HomePageTo">New Jersey Transit</a> corridor of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Station_%28New_York_City%29">Penn Station</a>.<br /><br />She has five tattoos, and chose this one to share with us here on Tattoosday:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhijQGXyGCX2fOco5affL_llhF6yNk4fh5Hftbzk84iqGpDk5flCjOnwCYuE8W7Ka0qtkNacA4BRwwH4pWGRoOz3tT0ovkPdrSJ6ld9FtWOk95BMgCQ9wclacMQ6w3ejomoOl9kCTjEVdg/s1600-h/Saint+Expury.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380551330927838594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhijQGXyGCX2fOco5affL_llhF6yNk4fh5Hftbzk84iqGpDk5flCjOnwCYuE8W7Ka0qtkNacA4BRwwH4pWGRoOz3tT0ovkPdrSJ6ld9FtWOk95BMgCQ9wclacMQ6w3ejomoOl9kCTjEVdg/s400/Saint+Expury.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 278px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />What I find intriguing about this piece is that it is not abundantly clear to a stranger what it is.<br /><br />Li had this tattoo based on, she said, a drawing by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Piaget">Jean Piaget</a>, that depicts the author <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine_de_Saint_Exup%C3%A9ry">Antoine de Saint Exupéry</a> rolling an orange along the keys of a piano.<br /><br />Saint Exupéry, most notably the author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0156012197?ie=UTF8&tag=bill03-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0156012197">The Little Prince</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=bill03-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0156012197" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, is Li's favorite author.<br /><br />Li told me that the writer rolled the orange over the keys, which produced a soothing noise which helped his wife sleep at night,<br /><br />I could not find the drawing to which Li refers, but I did find this reference, in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0805079130?ie=UTF8&tag=bill03-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0805079130">Saint-Exupery: A Biography</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=bill03-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0805079130" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, by Stacey Schiff:<br /><blockquote><br /><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" ><strong>At Silvia's he devised a game he called "<em>des oranges sur le piano</em>." By rolling one orange up and down the black keys and a second over the white he was able to produce what sounded to most ears like honest Debussy. </strong></span></blockquote><br />This tattoo was inked by Rachel, formerly of <a href="http://www.nokaoitikitattoo.com/">No Ka Oi Tiki Tattoo</a>, in Philadelphia.<br /><br />Thanks to Li for sharing her fascinating tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Li's Tattoo Recalls Saint Exupéry

A tattoo means the most to the person who has endured the process. A tattoo often represents more than what meets the eye. I met Li along th...

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