Demystifying the fascinating world and history of tarot art

The world of Tropia Art is infused with magic and folklore. Inspiration is drawn from far and wide, including the mystical world of tarot art. Originally designed in Medieval Europe as playing cards, tarot cards later became psychic divination tools. Over the centuries, the art of tarot evolved and the emergence of different styles and interpretations gave way to the style of tarot art that we are familiar with today. To understand the social and cultural context and importance, it is important to be aware of tarot’s colourful history.

A whistle-stop tour of the history of tarot art

The first known tarot deck was reportedly created in Italy in the 15th century and was known as the Visconti-Sforza deck. This deck had hand-painted cards that depicted scenes of court life, religious symbols, and allegorical figures. These cards were used for passing the time and it wasn’t until the 18th century when the French occultist Jean-Baptiste Alliette, also known as Etteilla, created the first esoteric tarot deck. He added more symbols and meanings to the cards, making them a tool for divination.

In the 19th century, the Golden Art Nouveau tarot was created by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a secret society of magicians and mystics. This tarot was known as the Golden Dawn tarot and included references to astrology, numerology, and the Kabbalah.

Moving on another 100 years, the famous Rider-Waite Tarot deck, illustrated by artist Pamela Colman Smith was published in 1910. This deck introduced new symbols and imagery, such as the Fool’s journey and the concept of the Major and Minor Arcana.

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The art of tarot cards

While many tarot artists have contributed their unique styles to the world of tarot art, there is no denying the impact of artist Pamela Colman Smith. Her artistic process was a collaborative one, working closely with the occultist Arthur Edward Waite, who provided the concepts and ideas for each of the cards. 

Colman Smith worked in a variety of mediums including watercolour, pen and ink and oil paint. Her skilled storytelling and ability to convey the true essence of each card has contributed to the success of the Rider-Waite tarot deck. Her artistic process was always highly intuitive and imaginative, drawing inspiration from mythology, folklore and ancient spiritual traditions. She would often draw while listening to music to help unleash her unconscious.

Her biggest contribution to tarot art was the illustration of the Minor Arcana cards. It was commonplace to only illustrate the Major Arcana cards leaving the Minor Arcana cards with a simple, playing card style design. Colman Smith, reinvented the Minor Arcana cards, infusing them with a detailed symbolism and mystic imagery. 

The symbolism of tarot art painting

Tarot art is a mystical and enchanting practice that is used to unlock our intuition and communicate with the divine. Through its rich imagery and powerful symbolism, tarot readings can provide clarity and guidance on personal and spiritual matters, as well as help us to understand our inner selves and make informed decisions. Wands are connected to creativity, swords symbolise intellect, pentacles work and money and cups symbolise our emotions. While many styles of tarot art exist, such as art deco tarot and art nouveau tarot cards, the meaning behind the key imagery remains the same. Throughout all these unique styles, artists use a range of techniques to reflect their individual style and creative vision. From painting or drawing to digital art, tarot is a deeply powerful and expressive medium for artists to convey deep, symbolic meanings.

Tarot art helps us discover what we are blind to.

Wands are connected to creativity, swords symbolise intellect, pentacles work and money and cups symbolise our emotions.

How the art of tarot can benefit your daily life

Those who feel drawn to tarot art are often on a spiritual quest for self-knowledge and guidance. Using these cards is a beautiful way to feel inspired and nurture a deeper connection to our own inner wisdom. The discoveries made and the transformation experienced when connecting to the magic of tarot help us to navigate the mysteries of life with grace, courage, and wonder. Tarot art helps us discover what we are blind to. It illuminates the dark, or hard to see areas of our soul and allows us to see the whole picture. Other than the traditional tarot card pull, there are many ways to infuse your life with tarot magic. 

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Create a sacred altar in a special corner of your home. Draw a tarot card at random and place it on the altar to allow its energy to guide your decisions during the week. Meditating with a tarot card is also another way to feel the effect and guidance of the card. If words are more your style, use the recently pulled tarot card and begin a spiritual journal, noting down all your emotions and thoughts related to the chosen card. 

Adding tarot wall art to you home

One of the best ways to feel the power of tarot art is to place a tarot painting on your walls. Tropia Art’s interpretation of the Moon tarot card invites the viewer into the watery depths of the moon’s power. The protagonist of this tarot design is the lunar symbol, the crab, whose armoured body and raised claws represent the transition between both the earthly and aquatic worlds. This ebb and flow of the tides echoes the transition between day and night. The crab is considered to be an ancient lunar symbol as it is in a state of permanent change: when it grows, it sheds its tough outer shell, discarding the old land and starting a new growth cycle – echoing the lunar cycle. This tarot card reminds us to shed light on the  indecision that we feel and analyse how to best grow in the face of adversity.  By placing this print inside your home, you are inviting creative and feminine energy to flow freely throughout your space. You are also faced with a beautiful reminder that everything moves in cycles forcing us to grow and develop.

The protagonist of this tarot design is the lunar symbol, the crab, whose armoured body and raised claws represent the transition between both the earthly and aquatic worlds.

The crab is considered to be an ancient lunar symbol as it is in a state of permanent change: when it grows, it sheds its tough outer shell, discarding the old land and starting a new growth cycle – echoing the lunar cycle.

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