Il Giardino dei Tarocchi (the tarot garden)
if you haven't heard of her already, please let me introduce you to Niki de Saint Phalle: French sculpture, painter, and film maker. her family moved to the United States after suffering financial difficulties during the Great Depression. in New York she attended a prestigious Convent School, but was expelled after painting the fig leaves red on a school statue. as a teenager she become a model and was featured on the cover of French Vogue. at 18 she married an American with whom she shared a daughter, Laura. Taking on the role of a mother and housewife caused Niki to have a nervous breakdown since she had fought hard against a society that restricted women to such stereotypes and behaviors. as part of her therapy she was encouraged to paint. her parents had never wanted her to paint. so she gave up acting and focused on becoming an artist. one year later she moved to Spain and visited Barcelona, where she discovered and became inspired by Gaudí's magical Park Güell. this is what her inspiration yielded:
Il Giardino dei Tarocchi (the tarot garden)
the sculptures in her park are largely based on Tarot Cards.
Here are some of the cards:
"the moon is the card of creative imagination and negative illusions... the card of the moon can be perilous or offer great imaginative power."
"the magician. for me the magician is the card of God the creator of the universe. it is He that created the marvelous joke of our paradoxical world. it is the card of active intelligence. pure light, pure energy, mischief and creation."
"the empress. the empress is the great goddess. she is queen of the sky. mother. whore. emotion. sacred magic and civilization."
"justice. justice implies self knowledge. one needs to acquire an ability to judge onself, to come to terms with our dark side. with this insight one can judge other people and situations with a compassionate eye. real justice is not blind. it brings a vision of universality."
"the world. the world is the card of the splendor of interior life... within this card lies the mystery of the world."
"the emperor. the emperor is the card of masculine power, for good or for bad. the emperor is a symbol of organization and aggression. he has brought us science and medicine but also weapons and war. he represents the patriarch or male protector. he also desires to control and conquer."
"the hermit. the hermit is an experienced wanderer searching for a spiritual treasure. the card implies that the most important lessons are learned though the heart."
the following are NOT tarot cards, but can also be found in the Garden:
Niki lived here (in the park, in the empress) for a time while she was building the sculptures.
this is the chandelier above her table.
unfortunately not everything was completed before her death in 2002.
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Niki de Saint Phalle was a hugely inspirational woman, in both her work and her personal life. for more information about the artist or her garden, please visit her website (<--where i got my quotes and information from | photos are mine).
Il Giardino dei Tarocchi (the tarot garden)
the sculptures in her park are largely based on Tarot Cards.
Here are some of the cards:
"the moon is the card of creative imagination and negative illusions... the card of the moon can be perilous or offer great imaginative power."
"the magician. for me the magician is the card of God the creator of the universe. it is He that created the marvelous joke of our paradoxical world. it is the card of active intelligence. pure light, pure energy, mischief and creation."
"the empress. the empress is the great goddess. she is queen of the sky. mother. whore. emotion. sacred magic and civilization."
"justice. justice implies self knowledge. one needs to acquire an ability to judge onself, to come to terms with our dark side. with this insight one can judge other people and situations with a compassionate eye. real justice is not blind. it brings a vision of universality."
"the world. the world is the card of the splendor of interior life... within this card lies the mystery of the world."
"the emperor. the emperor is the card of masculine power, for good or for bad. the emperor is a symbol of organization and aggression. he has brought us science and medicine but also weapons and war. he represents the patriarch or male protector. he also desires to control and conquer."
"the hermit. the hermit is an experienced wanderer searching for a spiritual treasure. the card implies that the most important lessons are learned though the heart."
the following are NOT tarot cards, but can also be found in the Garden:
Niki lived here (in the park, in the empress) for a time while she was building the sculptures.
this is the chandelier above her table.
unfortunately not everything was completed before her death in 2002.
+++
Niki de Saint Phalle was a hugely inspirational woman, in both her work and her personal life. for more information about the artist or her garden, please visit her website (<--where i got my quotes and information from | photos are mine).