Van Gogh Tarot Deck Review
Van Gogh Tarot
by: NEUJD
This is one of my many TEMU deck pickups. Almost all of the decks on Temu are not true Tarot deck size, but the smaller playing card size which is how this deck came and in a paper box. There is no branding on the box, no informational cards, and no booklet insert. This is fairly standard for Temu.
I did discover that a company on Etsy named SmyrnaCo sells the same exact design but only as a downloadable print design, meaning anyone can make these cards at home with the proper equipment.
Regardless, the card designs are truly beautiful.
What I enjoy about this deck are the large titles at the bottom. With some decks, you might be left guessing which card is which. This is rare, but it happens. But I did find that the major arcana cards are missing their corresponding numbers.
These three are my favorites. The Devil I find particularly curious. Is he standing on a tarot deck?
While the classical tarot depictions aren’t always evident in these renderings, the beauty of Van Gogh’s artistry is what is illuminated here – or a representation of it.
Here are another interesting set of cards that stood out to me.
The Ace of Cups appears to be filling from the sun or source and there is no overflow as we usually see. I think it’s a beautiful depiction. The Ace of Wands was also surprising to me, as it is represented by sunflowers (a favorite of Van Gogh) rather than a familiar wand shape. And I absolutely love the Ten of Swords. While it looks dangerous and formidable, we get to do away with the dead body.
While I love the look of the Ten of Pentacles, I do wonder where two of the pentacles went. I think I must be missing something here. The Three of Swords called out to me for the rigidity of their pose. There is something about this image I find alluring. And the Four of Pentacles shows Van Gogh himself with paintbrushes on either side of him.
Why did the creator use the Four of Pentacles to showcase their inspiration? He certainly wasn’t a money hoarder. I think the Nine of Swords might have been a better choice. Just a thought.
This Van Gogh deck is truly a beautiful and very inviting casual deck.