Melvis
I just thought I would report on an exhibit I saw yesterday at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. "A Passion for Paintings" shows several European paintings from the Wadsworth Museum in a study of Baroque painters, their influences, and those who followed them. I was stunned to see a couple of paintings strikingly similar to cards we all know and love. It was like fitting more pieces of the tarot puzzle together in my own mind. I already knew tarot artists and painters both followed the 'rules' of the day about what art should and shouldn't show but it was fun to see it in practice.
This painting of St Catherine of Alexandria reminded me both of the High Priestess (the book under her foot, the curve of the palm branch in her hand like a sliver of moon) and of Justice (the sword, of course). Very dramatic, I must say.
The painting that made me gasp out loud was of St. Margaret of Antioch, who was eaten by a dragon (who was really the devil, and who then regurgitated Margaret due to her cross getting stuck in its throat). It shows her entangled in the dragon's coiled body, her hand on the dragon's mouth, just like I usually see on Strength!
So I rushed home to see if Robert Place put Margaret on his Strength card in the Tarot of the Saints (I couldn't remember the deck...it's been a while), but he put her on the Devil card, surrounded by the dragon's mouth. That makes more sense, really. The way the artist showed her in the painting I saw was very Strength-like. I can't find the exact painting I saw yesterday shown anywhere on the web, but this one is close.
A great day at the museum, overall!
Peace,
Melvis
This painting of St Catherine of Alexandria reminded me both of the High Priestess (the book under her foot, the curve of the palm branch in her hand like a sliver of moon) and of Justice (the sword, of course). Very dramatic, I must say.
The painting that made me gasp out loud was of St. Margaret of Antioch, who was eaten by a dragon (who was really the devil, and who then regurgitated Margaret due to her cross getting stuck in its throat). It shows her entangled in the dragon's coiled body, her hand on the dragon's mouth, just like I usually see on Strength!
So I rushed home to see if Robert Place put Margaret on his Strength card in the Tarot of the Saints (I couldn't remember the deck...it's been a while), but he put her on the Devil card, surrounded by the dragon's mouth. That makes more sense, really. The way the artist showed her in the painting I saw was very Strength-like. I can't find the exact painting I saw yesterday shown anywhere on the web, but this one is close.
A great day at the museum, overall!
Peace,
Melvis
