+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+
About the Pictures
+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+
I
started this site in particular to widen the audience for artwork
of an under-rated and little-known period. I love late medieval
artwork, and I think a lot of other people will too if they
just get to see it. Most of these paintings are in European
churches, and very few of us will see them in real life. The
pictures have been manipulated in order to make them suitable
for this tarot deck, but they are based on the real thing.
Most
of the images used are from 1300 - 1500AD, a fascinating period
both in history and art. The extensive use of gold leaf at this
time, as well as experimentation with perspective and use of
light and shadow make for some very beautiful pictures. You
can see the first beginnings of the Renaissance - striving for
reality rather than the stylised representations typical of
the earlier medieval period.
Much
of the material I have used here is of a style and period known
as International Gothic - although this term is a relatively
modern one used to describe that which evolved into what we
call the Renaissance. I'm no purist, however, so I've certainly
stepped outside the confines of what academics define as International
Gothic, if a picture is from the appropriate period and suits
the deck.
The
cutoff point for me is a stylistic one rather than an actual
year - although I have only used work that is over 500 years
old. I have avoided more modern (realistic) Renaissance painters
even if their work was before 1500AD. That's not to say High
Renaissance Art wouldn't make a beautiful tarot deck - just
not THIS tarot deck. Also, I like to avoid images that are already
familiar to people (such as the work of Bottecelli, Da Vinci
and Michelangelo). Part of the joy I get from my collage work
is gaining recognition for original artworks that are not widely
known but deserve to be.
You
can find out more about the International Gothic movement in
a fascinating tour at the European Web Gallery of Art: http://gallery.euroweb.hu/tours/gothic/index.html
I've
had a site of medieval
graphics freebies since I first got online, although the
audience there has usually been limited to academics and people
with a specific interest in medieval art and culture. I have
developed this tarot deck as a vehicle to introduce a wider
audience to artwork of the late medieval period.
Most
European artwork of the late 14th and early 15th Century was
of a religious theme, which is a reflection of the society of
the time (or at least, those in society who could afford to
commission art). In order to make the images suitable for a
whole tarot deck, I have done a considerable amount of digital
collage. For this reason, I claim copyright
on the images as they appear here. I'm happy to let people use
them for non-commercial purposes, but if anyone is thinking
of stealing them to sell, beware my wrath!
Speaking
of my creation of the cards as new artworks in their own right,
I do my collaging digitally. Unlike some collage works including
several tarot decks, my collaging style is intended to look
as natural as possible. Not that I'm criticising the style of
other collagists who deliberately juxtapose elements conspicuously
for effect - that's just not what I'm after. To the extent that
it's possible when working with sources as diverse as wall-sized
textured Frescoes and tiny miniatures from Illuminated Manuscripts,
I try to make pictures that look as if they could be original.
If I've done the job well enough, you should have to look pretty
closely to identify which components have been added, moved
or modified. Often for one character I'll use hands and a face
from different paintings, matching the skin tones as closely
as I can by digital manipulation. Sometimes it involves zooming
in to push individual pixels - a very time consuming process,
but it allows much more opportunity for fine-tuning than the
traditional "blade and glue" technique.
I
haven't compressed the pics much, so this site will be very
slow for those of you on a poor connection, but it would have
defeated my point if I didn't present them in the best quality
possible. Gold does not compress well at all.
If
you want to see this type of art 'for real' - the Sainsbury
Wing of the National Gallery in London is full of stunning pieces.
I was in awe. Thank you, Sainsbury's! Or just about any local
church or cathedral in Italy... I'm currently trying to collect
and collate a database of where all these treasures are located,
in preparation for that dream Grand (Golden)
Tour....
Oh,
and yes - the deck's based on the Rider
Waite deck :)
