Chris Brown defends neck tattoo

Singer Chris Brown has defended his new neck tattoo as "art" following reports the design depicts a beaten woman's face.

The R&B star came under fire after debuting the new ink, with some critics suggesting the tattoo resembled the photograph of a bloodied and bruised Rihanna taken after the former couple's infamous 2009 fight.

Brown's publicist was quick to point out the tattoo was actually a picture of a skull and not an abused woman, and now the star, who was found guilty of assaulting Rihanna, has explained the image was inspired by Mexico's Day of the Dead celebration.

In a post on his Twitter.com page, Brown posted a link to a photo of the tattoo, writing, "I'm an artist and this is art. Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)."

Brown is said to have paid a MAC make-up artist who created the design to allow him to replicate it on his neck.