09 April 2010

The neo-marseilles!

I hear you think the what????
Don't look it up in a dictionary you wont find it, its a therm i created to define the new, modern and wild Tarot de Marseille decks (TdM) that emerged the previous century and will continue to come out in times to come.
The problem with classifying what a TdM is and what deck's aren't is that the TdM is still a living tradition,and as with all living things it changes, it evolves.The "historical" decks are part of the world they where born in, even if we would try we wouldn't be able to (re)create a true historic TdM only our view of it, as for the "modern" ones they are what the TdM evolved into in our time and world, born out of the classical TdM mother but with a different father, a different world and as our world is more complex and aeclectic than the historical period of the first TdM's so are the modern TdM (with i like to call neo-marseille as in still Marseille yet more and new) very much different form each other and from their historic "grandparents"
A prime example and beautiful deck all-round is the Tarot de la Rea by Alain Bocher that you can see below.

2 comments:

  1. Hi Stefan,

    This is a fantastic deck - and on the top of my tarot "wish list". Do you have the deck? If so, treasure it! It's not so easy to find :)

    Enjoying your blog.
    Alec

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  2. Yes i have it in both versions even one with and one without gilded edges, indeed a great deck, bold powerful and not ashamed to be itself!

    I think the artist has still some for sale he has his website here: http://alain.bocher.free.fr/Le%20Tarot%20de%20la%20Rea.htm

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