Tracking Tarot to India

Beginning by aquiring images I felt summed up a feel of the time and culture, I engaged in a historical journey that's put a lot of things into perspective.

TAROT CARDS: Symbolic imagery inevitably stylised by the skills and media popular at the time.

The ideas are ethereal, yet the awkward, rustic style brings them back down to Earth. Naivety is key in their charm. It is not always apparent what the artist is fully attempting to convey with the symbols present in each card illustration. Occult tarot cards peaked in their use during the Middle Ages. The classic deck I've visually referred to here was actually restored and compiled from various pre-Renaissance card designs, in the 20th Century, by Tarot historian Jean-Claude Flornoy

WESTERN MEDIEVAL ART:

The Middle Ages are the period in Western history that took place between the 5th and 15th Centuries, after the fall of the Roman Empire in 476, and preceding the Early Modern Era. To clarify, there's 'Classic' with all the old Greek and Roman culture from before Jesus and that. Then there's the Medieval/Dark Ages, then there's the Modern Era. So much further knowledge lives on Wikipedia. :D British Medieval art is that which is influenced by Norse and Anglo-Saxon Culture from the north, Classical culture from the Mediterranean and Byzantine Christian culture from further east. These influences are not exclusive. The imagery of which I am particularly fond is those silly, colourful saints and angels with their delicate outstretched hands, quizzical faces and static limbs.

SYNCRETISM: GRECO-BUDDHISM: Indo-Corinthian:


We can track how two different figurative stylisations in narrative and sacred art overlapped with the movement of their cultures and visually influenced each other. How weird! A Buddhist Titan - Atlas, looking like a Javan gargoyle! The epicentre of this merging was Hadda, in modern-day Afghanistan.
The Mediterranean curled hair now features on iconic far eastern Buddha figures, as do the luxurious clothing folds influenced by classical sculpture.

Other BUDDHIST ART:


INDONESIAN SACRED ART:

One of the man Indonesian deities, the femenine faerie or nymph equivalent, Aspara. She also appears in Hindu mythology.

In the early Indian subcontinent, throughout the lands of Japan, Butan, Tibet, China, Indonesia, Korea, India and Sri Lanka, the Buddhist, Hindu and other religions of the area all had overlapping mythologies. Therefore crossovers in the images of their deities are present.

From this research I have discovered shapes and symbols evocative of bygone cultures. I'm still on my journey to the Hindu deities that fascinate me so much, but the imagery acquired here has illuminated so many more visual ideas.

Visits required: the British Museum and the V&A. They have all this stuff! Loads of it!