Skin Colours

Chrystella

What's with the white skin on the figures of some TdM cards? Parts of the clothes are sometimes flesh-coloured so they could have gone with that for the skin. So, why white faces and hands among all the beautiful colours?
 

Katniss

What's with the white skin on the figures of some TdM cards? Parts of the clothes are sometimes flesh-coloured so they could have gone with that for the skin. So, why white faces and hands among all the beautiful colours?

i'm wondering the same thing! in the ISIS TM they don't have any white face (from the pics i could see) except 4 the Papesse. i don't think it's a mistake, so i wonder what message is given there. i hope that some TM's experts will see your post + turn on the light 4 us.
 

DeToX

Name some examples of what you are talking about. Are you referring to facsimiles of decks form the 18th century? Or modern reproductions?
 

jema

hehe that Noblet is so funny. She looks a little constipated.
 

Mikey

I only have the Jodorowsky/Camoin and Pablo Robledo decks. In the J/C deck, all the human figures have flesh colored skin with the exception of La Papesse. In the Robledo deck, all the human figures have flesh colored skin, even La Papeese, but her hands are white (same goes for L'Hermite).

I think (and this is without a doubt influenced by Jodorowsky's "The Way of the Tarot") the white skin of la Papesse is displaying the purity which she might represent. Even with having flesh colored skin and white hands, it still seems to point at purity. Perhaps all the actions she takes is sourced from a pure intention.

Perhaps it would help if you asked yourself or observed in yourself, how you feel or react to certain colors, and what meanings you attribute to those certain colors.

I've personally been curious about the inverse of your question, I find flesh colored clothing to be confusing for me, and wonder what they are meant to tell or symbolize.
 

Chrystella

I've personally been curious about the inverse of your question, I find flesh colored clothing to be confusing for me, and wonder what they are meant to tell or symbolize.

Yes, this is the other side of the question, why are clothing flesh-coloured. I only mentioned it to highlight that it was possible to make skin the colour of skin so it seems that the choice not to was deliberate.
 

Inana

Time ago I read somewhere (don't remember where it was) that in some old decks the skin was colored white to make stand out the spiritual side of the card. The same for the Star having blue hair, meaning she is part of the sky and not an earthly creature.
 

Debra

Yeah, but she is just as earthly as the other human figures in the trumps.

My guess is, it was initially an artistic decision for whatever reason, and some deck printers followed suit and others did not.
 

mrpants

Perhaps the Popess' skin is white because the image is meant to represent the Church, not an actual person?