Convos Card Backs

[Fulgour]

The five regular polyhedra became known as the Platonic Solids. They are of great interest from a geometric standpoint. Remarkably, there are only five such shapes. The faces in each shape are regular polygons of the same size (tetrahedron - four triangles; cube - six squares; octahedron - eight triangles; icosahedron - twenty triangles; dodecahedron - twelve pentagons), and each can be inscribed in a sphere. It is not hard to understand that the simple beauty and perfect symmetry of these forms could have inspired Plato to attribute special significance to them. Copyright © 2007 American Chemical Society

The key phrase here in relation to the Convos card backs
seems to be "each can be inscribed in a sphere" as seen
in the central white O in the middle of Spalinger's design.

If you look at the O long enough, it begins to fluctuate...
this is I believe a natural optical illusion. Very mystical.

 

[Fulgour]

Otto wrote to me several years ago, and included
his intention with the design... but it was difficult
to be completely sure what he meant because we
speak different languages (he lives in Switzerland).

He wrote of "the four human shapes" which I can't
find reference to in art books, but now think might
mean Platonic, and that he mainly used 4 of the 5.

Two images I found on-line may provide insights...

 

[Fulgour]

Thanks to the very thoughtful and generous kindness
of Diana an edition of The Convos in the French
was delivered to me from Switzerland...as Otto's gift.

So here let's add some more Universal spin to things,
and view: Taijitu, Zhoudunyi "THE GREAT EXTEREME"

If we can have help with an interpretation we might
discover even greater mysteries in the Convos backs.

 

[Abrac]

The Four Human Shapes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaVey_Synthesizer_Clock

 

[Fulgour]

...

Geometric shapes...as per design. This is why I said
the language factor was a difficulty. If you think of
how human figures may be drawn by a combination:

1) Circle
2) Triangle
3) Square
4) Cone

and then combine them in an abstract pattern,
as seen in these card backs, that's what this is...

 

[Fulgour]

I keep hoping to hear from one of our friends,
who often wished The Convos was in French.

 

[le pendu]

Did you ask him why the images all look so horribly distorted?

I can't even look at his deck because the proportions are all askew, squished into the frame. I like a lot of his ideas, but can't get past the distortion.

 

[Fulgour]

Hello Le Pendu! Otto has sent me copies of his art
for this deck as a "work in progress" from years ago.

He also detailed the "ways and means" that he used
during the creative process, including compromises,
made necessary by AGMuller's printing requirements.

If all Tarots looked artistically "alike" how'd that be?
If a worthy original also reflects an artist's style...
but this line of reasoning is moot...and I shall relent.

Askew, squished? Gesundheit! Can you do better?

 

[le pendu]

I sincerely like his art choices.. it's just (what I assume you mean by) the compromises to Muller that make this deck unusable to me.

I really wish the deck were republished with the proportions set to within typical TdM style. Every time I look at it (and I do own it), I think "my god, what the hell happened to the proportions here?!"

 

[Fulgour]

Every so often we hear claims that the styles of certain artists are due to some kind of eye problem or defect. Van Gogh and El Greco are the common subjects of these assertions. These propositions come from a fundamental belief common among certain people that the true aim of art is "realism," realism used not in the sense it is used by art historians, but rather as a normative goal or concept that governs not just the will to create, but what should be created. Style, according to this theory, or any perceived deviation from this "normative" ideal, is considered a defect, hence El Greco suffered from astigmatism and Van Gogh had blurry vision from cataracts or something like that. By accepting a physiological cause for their styles, the non-naturalistic style can be accepted: "At least they tried," they might say. Goya's style can be explained by his supposed lead poisoning.

And, let me tell you, Otto looks great in his beret!

*

quote from: Robert A. Baron
http://www.studiolo.org/Email/VANGOGH.htm
Museum Computer Consultant