Leo Ferré Tarot (by children)

[Diana]

There is so many rather sad posts made by people who say they dare not talk of Tarot at school, or in their homes, or in their workplace, in fact they are often fearful of talking about it. It is heartwarming to know that there is also the opposite occuring.

Here is a Tarot deck that was made by schoolchildren in France, encouraged and financed by the National Education Department in France.

http://argolance.free.fr/intervention/index1.htm

It's a Tarot of Marseille, of course. It was made under the guidance of Pierrick Pinot, the designer of the absolutely beautiful Tarot de la Félicité and the Tarot d'Argolance, which you can also see on his web-site. http://argolance.free.fr/tarots.htm

I dare to hope that this wonderful creative work opened up new visions for these children and that for some, the door to Tarot was opened forever.

I also find it quite touching that the school that made this carries the name of one of the greatest French singers, Léo Ferré, who was very much a free spirit - in fact quite the anarchist when he sang one of his most famous songs "Ni Dieu, Ni Maître" - Neither God nor Master. The school obviously carries his spirit.

 

[Emiac]

Awww, that's swheet.
Luckily, for many people, like me, brothers and sisters encourage the practice of Tarot. I can happily tell anyone I know about it!

 

[Kissa]

Gorgeous site!!! Pinot's work is really interesting. I love the colours, deep, warm; for some reason it makes me think of Hadar's work. I like this deck more than the Camoin Jodorowski anyway, I couldn't get used to the odd bright colours which looked weird on a Marseilles' deck IMHO.

The idea of having children paint a full deck is really wonderful as well. As you said, Diana, the whole process has certainly opened the door to Tarot to many children, the door to the Unseen. It would be worth knowing what the children's parents think of this uncommon exercise.

To finish, I'd say that though realized by children (under the artist's guidance), this deck is IMHO superior to many "professional" decks, sometimes made by profit like just another mass-product...

Kissa

 

[firemaiden]

my franco-maniacal heart melts.
*sniff*... Vive la France *sniff*

 

[jmd]

The Tarot de la Félicité is a beautifully crafted Major Arcana only deck... well worth the expense!

With regards to the Leo Ferré Tarot, this is the one I made mention of - somewhat unclearly, both here and here...

Thanks for that important post, Diana - for it certainly deserved a thread of its own!

 

[lunalafey]

that's amazingly awsome~
gosh- I wish something like that had happened in my school!

 

[Diana]

It would be worth knowing what the children's parents think of this uncommon exercise.

I would suspect that most parents didn't bat an eyelid. After all, the French are proud of the Tarot tradition that they have carried for so many hundreds of years.

 

[Rusty Neon]

By the way, the Leo Ferré deck is closest in design to the present-day Grimaud deck version of Paul Marteau's Tarot de Marseille, based on my quick peek so far. After all, this is France!

Check out the 4 of Coins which follow the Grimaud deck and the 2 of Cups which follows Grimaud and Marteau. I haven't checked out the colour scheme of the Leo Ferré deck, as I don't have any decks handy right now.

Diana ... Gorgeous deck! They should publish it commercially!

P.S. The people in the Lover card need to go on a diet, especially the man in the middle, who looks like Henry VIII of England after he acquired all his kilograms.

I also like the textures in the Nine (VIIII) of Batons.

 

[Nycelle]

That is incredibly beautiful. The minds of children should be opned to as many varied experiences as possible.

On a related note, I am a writer and I heard from my half-sister the other day. Her daughter, my eight year old neice, loves to write stories and wants to be a writer when she grows up. Her upbringing has been conventional and traditional, as was mine, and I am so happy that her imagination is flourishing.

 

[Moongold]

I saw this post in the Who's on line display.

Helvetica, who lives in Switzerland, pointed out to me last night how much the French value their Tarot.

Such a project would probably only really happen where the Tarot was known and understood.

It is a beautiful story.

It helped me think about cultural differences and understand a little more about the reverence for the Marseilles as something of a cultural icon.

I can't think of anything comparable here. From my own childhood and young adulthood I can think of the Story of Gallipoli - a military event in Turkey in the World War I. This event is critical in terms of national identity and every one knows about it. As a student I was asked to writ about it a number of times.

The only other comparable thing that comes to mind is aboriginal mythology. Many kids know the story of the Rainbow Serpent. Again that is simply a version of an archetypal myth.

Thank you, Diana, for sharing this.