Decks based on famours artists' work?
Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 19 Aug 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.
| Kiama |
19 Aug 2003 |
|
Hi all,
This was inspired by Catlin's thread about the Leonardo Da Vinci Tarot.
I have noctied a trend towards decks based on famous artists' art recently by Lo Scarabeo. I was wondering which artists they had done so far? The ones I can think of are...
Boccaccio (Decameron)
Bosch (Bosch)
Da Vinci (Leonardo Da Vinci Tarot)
Durer (Tarot of Durer)
I'm sure there are more... Which ones are they?
Kiama
|
| Le_Corsair |
19 Aug 2003 |
|
The Tarot Universal Dali.
Bob :THERM
|
| baba-prague |
19 Aug 2003 |
|
The William Blake :-)
|
| Gerbear |
19 Aug 2003 |
|
The Giotto Tarot
|
| felicityk |
19 Aug 2003 |
|
Another one listed on Tarot Garden's Upcoming Releases page is the Bruegel Tarot.
http://www.tarotgarden.com/boutique/preorders.html
I find personally that I don't care for this trend. I'm not interested in seeing one artist's interpretation of another's style. If the deck consists of the works of that artist unchanged, that's one thing, but all these "in the style of" decks just don't appeal to me.
Then again, I like Lo Scarabeo's Art Nouveau (Primavera) Tarot very much, and that could be said to be in the style of Alphonse Mucha. Good thing they didn't call it Mucha Tarot or I might not have bought it! :)
Felicity
|
| baba-prague |
19 Aug 2003 |
|
Mucha tarot?
I have to speak up for Mucha here (local person - the family still live up the hill from us). I honestly think that the Lo Scarabeo Primavera deck isn't very Mucha-like. I'm not criticising it, it's a very nice deck in its own right in many ways - but it isn't a patch on real Mucha!
I actually would love to see a Mucha deck, and I think it could work. But what an undertaking. Ah well, maybe one day... :-)
I sort of agree with you that many of the "in the style of" decks are a bit of a let-down. But maybe better than nothing.
Actually, I wouldn't class the Blake in this way - I think it's a really good and well thought-out deck.
|
| felicityk |
19 Aug 2003 |
|
Mari:
Klimt is one of my favorite artists, and I agree it is a stretch to compare the Crystal Tarot to his work, even though it does say in the LWB that Elisabeta Trevisan was inspired by him. I've actually looked at Klimt's works with an eye toward assembling a Tarot deck from them (for my own use), but apart from a few obvious choices (The Kiss for The Lovers, etc.) I don't think it would work.
Karen:
I didn't mean to slight Mucha! :) I like what I've seen of his art but I'm not terribly familiar with it, other than the general style, and I think that's what the Primavera deck evokes. Maybe a proper Mucha deck could be done some day.
|
| VGimlet |
20 Aug 2003 |
|
Ommagio a Erte
I like his style quite a bit, just for general reasons. And of course, another one of my highly coveted Folchi decks....
|
| catlin |
20 Aug 2003 |
|
Dante tarot, Tarot of the Golden Tsar just to add a few more.
|
| tabbycat |
20 Aug 2003 |
|
Have to second what baba-prague said about the Art Nouveau deck - it is Mucharesque, but a poor imitation of the artist's work. I find the male figures particularly disappointing and there's something nasty, almost sadistic, about the scenes used for the kings.
I'd love to see a tarot that was more faithful to Mucha's glorious artwork, as he's one of my favourite artists.
Jilly
|
| catlin |
20 Aug 2003 |
|
I bought the Art Nouveau (Primavera) deck just because I also love the Mucha artwork but I was also disappointed a bit as the cards sometimes have nothing in common with Mucha or the tarot traditional meaning. I just like the sensuous looks of this deck.
|
| Rusty Neon |
20 Aug 2003 |
|
So far we've noted decks inspired by the visual art works of artists.
And there is the Dante Tarot deck (Lo Scarabeo) inspired by the literary works of Dante.
And the Rock 'n Roll Tarot deck (Chris Paradis) is inspired by the musical works of various rock 'n roll artists.
|
| baba-prague |
20 Aug 2003 |
|
Just to say no offence taken about Mucha! He is an almost impossible artist to do "in the style of" without diminishing him (we did one figure in one card only, our Strength, in the style of Mucha, as we felt we couldn't leave him out of anything about Prague. But just that one figure took a seriously long time - we worked from a whole selection of Mucha drawings and paintings to try to stay as faithful as possible).
I almost bought the Primavera and then just felt very disappointed by it - but as I say, better to have a not perfect art nouveau deck than no art nouveau deck at all. The thing is, we are surrounded by the most breath-taking art nouveau in Prague (particularly in some areas) so it's hard for anything to match up.
One day maybe I will work up the courage to knock on the current Mr Mucha's door (if any of you have seen Amadeus, the Mucha house is used as Mozart's gorgeous house in that film, so it is a seriously imposing door to knock on!) and ask if we can do the Tarot of Mucha. Right now, I don't feel we are ready, and I would rather put off the moment that hear the word "no". But one day... :-)
|
| punchinella |
29 Sep 2003 |
|
I feel a bit weird, at this point, posting about anyone other than Alphonse Mucha . . . however, I just want to say that I have Giacinto Gaudenzi's 'Tarot of Durer', & feel that by slapping that particular title on the deck--which, in addition to being essentially misleading, is also something that Gaudenzi can't possibly live up to--Lo Scarabeo has really done the artist (Gaudenzi) a disservice. Of course, the way it probably worked is that L.S. conceived of the idea first, & then commissioned G.G. to do the art . . . so perhaps my point is moot . . . but nonetheless--I love the deck for what it is: light & etherial, 'fluffy' even, melencholic in a totally UN-Durer-like way . . . really . . . the deck as I see it has VERY LITTLE TO DO WITH DURER but is nonetheless lovely & valuable. I use it frequently, & 9 times out of 10 it makes me feel happy. That being the case--I wonder how many other people are missing out on this happiness, because they're either turned off by the 'art-heavy' implication of the title, or by the gimmickiness of calling something a tarot of Durer, when it isn't.
--Why is L.S. doing this??? (Well--I guess we all know the answer to that question, don't we . . . but nonetheless--WHY???)
--P.
|
| baba-prague |
29 Sep 2003 |
|
Well - to get off Mucha and on to Durer (I can take a hint :-) ) the absolutely worst "Durer" tarot is the one done in Bulgaria - it comes up on eBay sometimes. Nothing to do with Durer at all. I think they just thought it was a good title for selling. That kind of thing really does annoy me, because if you were a Durer fan and bought this off eBay without seeing it, you would be seriously disappointed.
|
| truthsayer |
29 Sep 2003 |
|
i don't know about the level of fame of these artists but what about the margarete peterson or the cat people by karen kuykendall. both were/are artists. there's the rohrig. anyone mention the bosch?
|
| punchinella |
29 Sep 2003 |
|
Baba-prague, I didn't know there were other 'Durer' tarots out there. --What a tease! Can you imagine how incredible the real thing would be? It's such a natural--something that really *should have been* . . .
P.
|
| baba-prague |
29 Sep 2003 |
|
yes, a real Durer would be fantastic. Hard to do I suppose. I wish someone would try for real though. Maybe too many copyright problems or something.
I think a Chagall deck would work too, could be beautiful.
|
| Le_Corsair |
29 Sep 2003 |
|
I'd like a Goya "Black Paintings" deck!
Bob :THERM
|
| baba-prague |
30 Sep 2003 |
|
Goya? Bob, now you're talking! Yes, that would be great.
I would also just love to do a Bakst tarot - based on his theatre designs. It would be a little bit Erte-esque I suppose.
Would it be getting off thread if I uploaded some cards from an Art Nouveau print we found the other day? The artist has drawn four full cards, plus small versions of four more. The print is an original from around 1895 - from a folio in which the best Viennese artists of the day were each allowed to include one print. This one person chose to do a print of cards (yey!)
Anyway, maybe off-thread? But interesting to see perhaps? I'll upload one at least if anyone here wants to see. I'll also try to decipher the artist's name.
|
| punchinella |
30 Sep 2003 |
|
Now curiosity is piqued baba-prague, you'd better go for it--P.
|
| baba-prague |
30 Sep 2003 |
|
Oh - wouldn't I just love to - but I can't even begin to imagine the copyright problems. However, we are just out of a four-hour meeting with a wonderful Russian artist who does wood and lino-cuts in the traditional way and maybe (fingers and toes crossed) something will come of that - even if it won't be Bakst.
Some of the people here have wonderful talent and skill - breath-taking to see it.
|
The Decks based on famours artists' work? thread was originally posted on 19 Aug 2003 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.
|
