The Evolution of Tarot Card Design: From Magic to Modernity

Contents:

• Rules of the Tarot Game
• The Rivalry of the Italian Dukes and the French Monarchs
• The Role of Esoteric Teachings in the Design of Tarot Cards
• The Papus Tarot
• The Rider-Waite Tarot
• Modern Tarot Trends: Feminism, AI, and Hip-Hop Culture
• Tarot in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Synergy of Ancient Knowledge and Modern Technology

The history of product design is a fascinating journey, observing technological innovations, changes in worldviews, and social transformations reflected in objects. As an example for in-depth analysis, we have chosen tarot cards, which have undergone changes both in their design and in the areas of their use.

In the 15th century, Florentine cards were already mentioned in wills as precious property. Their design was the work of outstanding artists, including Salvador Dalí. These decks were created not only by famous writers and occultists, but also by fans of hip-hop culture and feminist activists.

We explored the evolution of technology, artistic directions, and card design, from their development by apprentices in workshops to modern practices, when illustrators use neural networks to generate decks and share their prompts.

While Tarot cards are unlikely to predict the future, they provide a unique opportunity to analyze the past, spanning nearly five hundred years of the development of European design and printing.

Tarot Rules

Tarot is believed to have its roots in medieval Europe in Islamic traditions, while Italians are credited with creating trump cards with human images. Tarot is a card game known as jeu de tarot, played by four players and based on the principle of trick-taking. What makes this game unique is that it uses a full deck of 78 tarot cards. Its structure is similar to bridge.

In the 19th century, under the influence of the failed monk and occultist Jean-Baptiste Pitois, the trump cards were renamed "arcana."

The Rivalry of the Italian Dukes and the French Monarchs

The history of tarot cards is not rooted in mysterious ancient cults, as is often assumed; in fact, its origins are quite mundane. It all began with a card game known as tarocchi, which originated in Florence. In Renaissance Italy, there were fragmented territories controlled by powerful families such as the Visconti, Sforza, and Borgia, whose members were great gamblers. For aristocrats, a deck of cards designed for playing tarocchi was a true symbol of luxury and an exquisite gift.

During the Italian Renaissance, cards were hand-crafted, often covered in gold leaf, and sometimes featured images of the customers themselves and their loved ones. In the 15th century, decks owned by the Italian aristocracy were true works of art, executed in a mixed technique. Six layers of pre-primed cardboard were gilded, with elements either scratched, printed, or glued on top. In some cases, metal appliqués were used. Of course, all themes were approved by the customer.

Duke Filippo Maria Visconti spent 1,500 gold coins on a tarocca deck. To put this into perspective, a house in Florence cost around 100 gold coins, a horse could be purchased for 16 gold coins, and the cost of maintaining troops for eight months amounted to only 42,000 gold coins. Ordinary people also had a passion for gambling, but naturally, the Visconti-Sforza handwritten decks were unavailable to them. Therefore, they were forced to resort to the most accessible methods, namely, woodcuts. To create cards for the less affluent, woodcuts were printed on cardboard. Afterwards, the cards were quickly colored using stencils. This process turned out to be quite economical, but at the same time quite effective.

One of the early varieties of block printing, which appeared in Europe The first printing technique to be developed on paper was the production of playing cards. This gave rise to the profession of tarot card makers, with over 200 card makers in medieval Lyon alone. This craft was heavily taxed, as gambling generated significant regional revenues, fostered culture and leisure, and also provoked the ire of the church. The growing popularity of games led to the development of a wide variety of card designs. The Tarot of the Anonymous Parisian was produced between 1559 and 1650 in Paris. The use of color in this woodcut is remarkably modern, featuring vibrant figures and expressive lines. However, such a free combination of colors would only become characteristic of design in the 20th century. In medieval woodcuts, a similar effect was most likely achieved through stencil coloring, rather than being the result of a conscious artistic technique.

Tarot cards were used not only for entertainment or as a status symbol, but also served as a reflection of the social opinions and political trends of their time. Parisians showed a particular fondness for caricatures depicting the inhabitants of the Louvre, including the royal family and members of the clergy. By the 18th century, themes related to hunting, rural life, and the Enlightenment began to dominate their designs. The cards could also feature images of exotic animals not found in Europe.

The hand-etching method, in which images were applied using metal plates, significantly reduced costs and sped up the production of maps in the 19th century. During this same period, the first significant occultists, inspired by the Romantic era, emerged. These practitioners, calling themselves "initiates of the mysteries," renamed the trump cards "arcana" (from the Latin arcānum, meaning secret) and, drawing on a wealth of material, created a unique combination of symbols, historical eras, and various traditions, developing their own esoteric systems.

During the Middle Ages and the Enlightenment (17th–18th centuries), Tarot cards were used as a means of communication. Card games not only entertained people but also reflected the particularities of the historical era, the cultural environment, and the political situation in cities.

In certain regions of France, members of the ruling dynasty were subjected to ridicule, while elsewhere, the stories were used to illustrate contemporary views on the structure of the world. The images in Tarot cards can be seen as a kind of meme that was understandable to players.

The Role of Esoteric Teachings in the Creation of Tarot Card Design

However, with the advent of the occult tradition, confusion arose: the Tarot gradually lost its element of play, and the emphasis shifted to fortune-telling.

For occultists, it was extremely important to rely on ancient traditions, so from the late 18th to the 20th century, Tarot cards represented a vibrant fusion of different eras and artistic movements.

The same deck could feature stylizations inspired by the Kabbalah, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, and well-known Hermetic movements. The growing interest in Tarot cards is also associated with the active emergence of various secret societies and orders in modern society.

However, while large orders and communities of mystics claimed that Tarot cards serve as a tool for understanding the world around them, ordinary people sought more convincing evidence of their effectiveness.

Thus, a well-known marketing strategy emerged that served as confirmation of the fortuneteller's qualifications and the effectiveness of the Tarot method: the prediction of Napoleon's fall, made, of course, after this event occurred. In some cases, Nostradamus was also mentioned.

One of the popular advertising slogans of the 19th century:

"At the end of the 18th century, there was a famous gypsy woman, famous for her fortune-telling skills. She predicted the fall of Napoleon and many other significant events in history. After her death, her cards were discovered, which have now been restored and are presented here." — such is the typical text of a 19th-century booklet.

The Tarot of Papus

The famous French esotericist Papus, real name Gerard Encausse, who wrote about 400 works on magic, could not remain aloof from the growing popularity of fortune telling using the Tarot. He created a unique technique that combines elements of astrology, Masonic symbols, images from the Kabbalistic text "Sepher Yetzirah", as well as characteristic attributes of ancient Egyptian aesthetics.

Gerard Encausse enthusiastically researched the Kabbalah and the mythology of the ancient Jews. However, this did not stop him from publishing a series of articles devoted to the "Jewish conspiracy," which he released before the outbreak of World War I and in which, as an occultist, he seems to have genuinely believed.

The design was extremely laconic: the use of a flat image and the lack of a color palette were offset by rich symbolism. The image depicts a popess representing the Major Arcana, decorated in an ancient Egyptian style. Two columns represent Masonic ideas, and the taut fabric symbolizes mystery. The cards came with a book containing interpretations and rather complex explanations of various methods of fortune-telling.

Rider-Waite Tarot

During the period when World War I reached its peak, there was a significant increase in interest in tarot divination. The unpredictability of the future and the crises that engulfed Europe led to divination becoming an integral part of attempts to predict political events. At this time, the Rider-Waite Tarot deck was born, which, in turn, emphasized some of the themes already presented in the Papus Tarot. These cards quickly gained the status of occult classics and became the most popular Tarot deck in history.

This design The deck attracts attention thanks to its unusual three-dimensional illustrations, where the figures appear bright and three-dimensional. The influence of modernism is clearly evident, while Art Nouveau elements are practically absent: ornamentation and symmetrical patterns are almost completely absent.

The 20th century became a landmark period for Tarot design, as occultists skillfully integrated modern artistic trends into their traditions. Famous artists such as Salvador Dali also contributed to the creation of the cards, finding it an interesting way of self-expression.

In the lead-up to World War II, a surreal deck of cards known as the "Marseille Game" gained popularity in France. It was developed by representatives of the surrealist movement, including such artists as André Breton, Max Ernst, André Masson and a number of other creators.

The Dürer Tarot is a clear example of a hoax: although the illustrations are done in a style reminiscent of Dürer's works, they actually have no connection with the great master. These images were created only at the end of the 20th century.

In the last decades of the 20th century, Tarots inspired by the works of Bosch and William Blake appeared, as well as There were many decks stylized to resemble various artists. However, among them there were also original decks that did not seek to copy the work of past masters. However, until the beginning of the 21st century, such unique sets remained rare and could not compete with stylized versions.

Modern Tarot Trends: Feminism, AI, and Hip-Hop Culture

With the spread of New Age culture in the United States in the 1980s and then beyond, as well as the growing popularity of yoga and meditation, new ways of working with Tarot cards emerged. Practitioners have stopped delving into complex symbols and seeking to explain the “essence of everything” through Kabbalah, theosophy, or astrology.

Cards have found new life thanks to progress in the field of psychoanalysis. For those involved in fortune telling, personal perception and interpretation became much more important than simply the meaning of the card. People began to perceive the cards as archetypal symbols. Instead of asking "What should I do?" they more often ask "What do I feel?"

The modern use of Tarot has expanded to areas such as team building and the search for creative solutions, where some of its elements are actively used.

Themes of the struggle for equal rights and other social issues have found their reflection in the world of Tarot. In the 1980s, a book entitled "A Feminist Tarot" was published by Sally Gerhardt and Susan Rennie, in which they presented fresh approaches to practices related to the Tarot.

The authors of the new interpretation of the Tarot have revised the meanings of the arcana with the goal of developing a deck free of gender prejudice. In the traditional set, as you know, the cards are classified into female, representing passive images, and male, which are active.

Michael Hughes, a famous magician and activist in the United States, who He developed several rituals directed against Donald Trump and created his own unique interpretations of Tarot cards. In particular, in his interpretation, the "Tower" card symbolizes opposition to Trump, as well as the fight against corruption and economic inequality. At the same time, the Chariot card personifies the ideas of urbanism, support for cycling and environmentally friendly transport, as well as active participation in public events.

Today, Tarot cards, like their ancient counterparts that arose in the Middle Ages, continue to address important social issues.

Some Tarot decks have significantly moved away from traditional Arcana and mystical aspects, becoming more open to free interpretation.

Modern deck creators often design their cards within familiar thematic frameworks, which creates parallels with early examples of playing cards dating back to the Middle Ages.

One common method in creating modern Tarot decks is to use familiar aesthetics. For example, you can refer to the style of a certain era. The symbols and visual language of the Soviet Union are highly recognizable, even among those who have no interest in history.

Modern tarot readers make decks from a wide variety of materials, including even imitations of popular interfaces for creating cards aimed at TikTok. The meanings of these cards are often presented in the form of hashtags.

The success of Tarot cards is likely due to the fact that their strong narrative foundation and richness of symbolism provide Illustrators have ample scope for creativity and imagination.

Tarot in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Synergy of Ancient Knowledge and Modern Technology

Tarot readers have begun using artificial intelligence to develop Tarot cards. Marcus Katz, the creator of the prompts for his project called "The Eternal Day Tarot Deck," shared details of the creation process.

According to the author, the greatest difficulty was correctly arranging the letters.

A new AI tarot reader has arrived—AI Tarot Reader. You can ask your question using the provided form, after which you will be shown the cards, and the neural network will provide their interpretation, answering your request. The images of the cards are used from the traditional Rider-Waite Tarot deck.

There is a difference of as much as 500 between these "Chariot" cards. years.

The first cards were created by an Italian Renaissance artist, most likely Bonifacio Bembo, who worked on this deck in collaboration with a group of apprentices. The second card, in turn, was developed by Marcus Kay in tandem with the Midjourney neural network, raising funds for his project through a crowdfunding platform.

The history of Tarot is a fascinating journey of design, printing, and the evolution of human concepts. Over time, not only the cards themselves have changed, but also their functions and the meanings they carry. Nowadays, neural networks capable of interpreting cards have emerged, but it's worth noting that artificial intelligence cannot replace a human fortuneteller. Furthermore, changes in card styles can be seen as a reflection of the evolution of artistic movements. For example, Renaissance cards are easily distinguished from the works of the Surrealists, and no neural network can rival the skill of an engraver.

Over the course of five hundred years, only a few games have survived to this day, including tarot cards, chess, backgammon, dice, golf, and pétanque. However, only tarot cards completely lost their gameplay function, and yet, in the 20th and 21st centuries, they have experienced a real revival. This increased interest can be attributed, in part, to their attractive design.

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Read also:

• Bauhaus and VKHUTEMAS: Design Development in the 1920s and 1930s

  At the beginning of the 20th century, design underwent significant changes, and two schools—Bauhaus in Germany and VKHUTEMAS in the Soviet Union—emerged as key players in this process. Both organizations sought to integrate art and industry, but their approaches and philosophies differed.

  Founded in 1919, the Bauhaus focused on creating functional and aesthetic objects. Its founders believed that art should serve society and meet its needs. The school trained not only architects and artists but also designers, which contributed to the emergence of new forms and materials. The principles of simplicity, functionality, and accessibility became fundamental to many design solutions.

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  With the onset of World War II in the 1940s, changes occurred in manufacturing processes and consumer preferences. Industry shifted to meet the needs of the military, leading to material shortages and a shift in design standards. Designers began developing simpler, more cost-effective solutions that could meet military requirements while still remaining functional and aesthetically pleasing.

  This period in design history thus became a time of transition and adaptation, when creativity and economy combined to create new approaches to creating objects that responded to the demands of the times.

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