Tarot of Klimt Deck
All spiritual denominations emphasize the soul. They revere non-covetousness, renunciation of worldly goods. But people of art show a completely different reality. Fun, love and pleasure from life rule the ball here. Yes, and the artists themselves can often boast of a bright fate with steep ups and downs. The Tarot of Klimt is a deck created based on the paintings of the famous painter and graphic artist. The author of the cards brought together attractive and repulsive images, creating a kind of kaleidoscope of life. An ode to harmony and death, balance and destruction. And all these plots reflect the usual reality, illuminated by art.
History of creation of the Klimt Tarot Deck
The Klimt Tarot deck is the work of the Bulgarian artist Atanas Atanasov. The author took as a basis fragments of paintings by a famous Austrian painter. Such a “base” fits perfectly into the Tarot system. Gustav Klimt himself created quite mystical paintings that catch the eye of sophisticated viewers. He focused on the aesthetics of the human body with its beauty and flaws. The author of the Klimt Tarot deck followed in the footsteps of his eminent colleague. He managed to resurrect an unshakable classic, which just a century ago seemed something shocking. Naked bodies, motifs of ancient civilizations and gilding are the formula for success. Atanas Atanasov managed to snatch out the brightest images and presented them from the position of a predictive system.
For the first time Tarot of Gustav Klimt was published in 2005 in Italy. Further, the cards were reprinted many more times in different countries. The deck won the love of many practitioners, but also received the lion’s share of criticism. The author practically repeated the fate of Klimt, causing a mixed reaction to his work. However, those who understood the language of the Arcana received an accurate and beautiful tool for divination. You can consider the Klimt Tarot deck a work of art. Everything is perfect here – the images of archetypes themselves, the elaboration of small details, the design of cards. The author managed to keep the Art Nouveau style. If Klimt were alive, he would certainly have admired the work of Atanas. The artist told the story of Gustav, writing his name into the world of predictions.
Key features of the Gustav Klimt Tarot
The Klimt Tarot deck belongs to the English school. Strength comes at number 11. In many ways, the plots here are similar to Waite’s classics. The Fool has no number, there are 78 cards in the system. The Major Arcana of the Tarot of Gustav Klimt show the main stages of a person’s spiritual search. Moreover, archetypes have a rich history, correlate with ancient myths. For example, Judith is depicted on Strength. It is believed that the woman saved the city from an enemy siege. At night, she made her way to the commander Holofernes, seduced him and then cut off his head. Frightened soldiers rushed away from the city, seeing the dead commander. Now the author directly connects the archetype of Strength with the struggle and the ability to make some sacrifices for the sake of the future good. The Lovers card shows a fragment of Klimt’s famous painting "The Kiss". There is no pain of choice here. Atanas in this way indicates the creation of a couple, love and reciprocity.
The Minor Arcana of the Klimt Tarot basically repeat Waite’s motives. For example, the Six of Cups shows a thoughtful boy, and the Eight of Swords shows a girl surrounded by blades. The Ten of Wands depicts a hunched old woman. She personifies heaviness, life lessons and inner experiences. The image itself is taken from the painting "The Three Ages of Woman". On the Four of Wands in Klimt’s Tarot, the author left a young girl with a child in her arms. All Aces also have heroes. On the first card of the suit of Cups, a couple in love is generally shown. The exception is the Ace of Swords, where only a hand holding a sharp blade is visible. Such symbolism fully reveals the meaning of the card, highlights its main message.
The court Arcana of Klimt’s Golden Tarot are made in the same style. Interestingly, the author chose the image of Emilia Flöge, the mistress of the Austrian artist, as the heroine of the Queen of Cups. The lady’s husband found out about the fatal passion with Klimt and ordered him many portraits of his wife. In this way, he wanted to achieve boredom and satiety in lovers. Emilia had her own fashion house. Gustav helped her create prints for fabrics. On the Queen of Cups, the heroine is dressed in a blue dress, which was written from a real prototype. But on the Queen of Swords, Atanas slightly changed the expression on the character’s face. In the painting "Dancer" the girl smiled sweetly. Now she pursed her lips, showing indifference and detachment. In her hands she holds a sword, which was not in the original. Such a move made it possible to clarify the suits of the Klimt Tarot deck. A fortuneteller can contemplate works of art and connect them in meaning with standard archetypes.
Style and symbolism of the deck
The Golden Tarot of Gustav Klimt is rich in small details. If you look closely, you can see various strange patterns appearing here and there. Gustav had an anatomist friend. He showed Klimt cells under a microscope. The artist was inspired by this phenomenon and transferred it to his canvases. So, on the Arcana of Moon fertilized eggs are shown, and on the High Priest – blood molecules. All these details add up to a beautiful and bewitching pattern. The main focus is on the human body. Both men, and women of different ages appear in the Klimt Tarot deck. The artist showed both beautiful and repulsive images. For example, the Nine of Cups depicts a man with large breasts, more like a woman. But on the Three of Pentacles, a beautiful girl playing the harp is drawn.
In terms of design, the Klimt Tarot deck is contrasting, attracting attention. Each plot is enclosed in a black frame. There is a number at the top, a name at the bottom. In addition, Atanas highlighted some details with gilded foil. This technique highlights important points, and simply decorates the deck. On the back of the cards is a fragment of the painting "Waiting" – a dancing Asian girl. Her dress is decorated with a mosaic ornament. The image is mirrored from below and enclosed in a black frame. The canvas is one part of the triptych – "Waiting", "Tree of Life", "Rapture". It turns out that the girl is watching the hugging couple. She seems to be waiting for her turn to love.
Interpretation of the Klimt Tarot cards
The interpretation of the Klimt Tarot should be done based on your own intuition. As a basis, you can take Waite’s base. Still, the deck is pretty standard. However, in order to understand the metaphorical nature of the cards, it is worth studying the context of the canvases. This information will help you better read the emotions of the characters in the deck, their moods and thoughts. All these meanings can be easily transferred to real life. Particular attention should be paid to the poses of the characters, gestures, body condition. So, the Fool shows a decrepit old man covering his face with his hands. He probably regrets the wasted years. He was left with nothing, his age is drawing to a close. But on the Empress, the heroine holds her head high, demonstrating superiority. She knows about her own strength and power.
In the spreads of Klimt Tarot, it is worth considering the nudity of the figures. For example, on the Nine of Pentacles, the girl is wearing a long dress. Clothing speaks of emotional closeness, but bare arms and shoulders hint at a willingness to accept love. The woman from the World card is pregnant. Such a detail indicates the birth of something new, continuity. The hero from the Page of Swords is dressed in armor, which speaks of a secretive nature, the habit of protecting one’s interests. However, the guy’s head is not covered. This is a sign that a person only gains experience and forms his thinking. But on the Knight of Swords, the character’s head is covered with a helmet. He has already built his own point of view and is ready to defend the ideals.
What questions is the deck suitable for?
Fortune-telling on the Tarot of Klimt is suitable for a number of questions. This includes financial projects, work, business, career. The suit of Pentacles perfectly reflects the sphere of money. At the same time, the deck always takes human relations as a basis. After all, the same finances can be obtained only through contact with a client, partner. That is why the deck shows love, friendship, as well as conflicts well. With the help of cards, you can find out the true feelings of the second half, clarify relationships with parents, children, colleagues and relatives. The Arcana will help to negotiate, smooth out sharp corners as much as possible, or simply avoid communicating with unpleasant people.
At the same time, the Klimt Tarot deck is great for viewing mental and physical wellness. The bodies and poses of the characters will talk about illnesses, ailments, or excellent health. Also, the external state of the hero can be read as an internal balance or imbalance. For example, if the querent is handsome, well-coordinated, but conditionally ugly Arcana falls on him, then this is a reason to think. It is possible that inside the person suffers from his own contradictions, negative thinking, complexes. The Ten of Wands or the Nine of Swords may well fall on a young girl. The questioner should take into account all these nuances in the spread, after clarifying the question.
Who are the Klimt Tarot cards for?
The Klimt Tarot deck will appeal to fans of the work of both Gustav himself and Atanas. Only people of art will be able to discern the truth in metaphorical images and transfer it to the familiar world. Beginners also have the right to work with the deck. However, it is better to first get acquainted with the stories that formed the basis of the paintings of the Austrian artist. Some practitioners purchase a deck as an exhibit in their own collection. The noble combination of gold and black looks luxurious. In order not to spoil the cards with constant shuffling, you can laminate them.
Also, the Klimt Tarot deck is suitable for experienced craftsmen. The Arcana perfectly show the theme of relationships, so they can be used as an additional point tool in work. At the same time, the querent has the right to include reversed positions in the spread. This is clearly hinted at by a mirrored shirt. In terms of gender, the deck can appeal to both women and men. However, there are many people who are repelled by frank, too lifelike images. Here it is worth focusing on your own preferences. Many practitioners call the deck thin and precise. It is necessary to work with the cards a couple of times in order to draw final conclusions.