Bianco Nero (Black and White) Tarot blends the classic iconography of the Visconti Tarot with the modern illustrations of the Rider-Waite Tarot. This deck seeks to stay true to the images, symbolism and figures used in those popular tarot decks. The cards are hand-drawn black and white ink illustrations on paper. This style of line drawing was inspired by Gustave Doré’s antique engravings and Albrecht Dürer’s woodcuts and chalcography, as well as by Sergio Toppi’s modern illustrations. The deck is designed to have a figurative and realistic style, but it also has a fantastical touch that adds a dream-like quality to the representation. Each illustration is well defined and rich in symbolic details that help explore the meaning of the card. The faces, the look, the clothes and the age of the characters are designed to allow the card to be easily understood. Readings are assisted by details, such as expressions and gestures that accentuate the general character of the card.
In Bianco Nero, the representation of the symbols of the suits is different on each card; in the case of Swords, in particular, the symbol never repeats itself. The setting, the landscapes and the characters’ clothes, as well as the tools, are taken from the iconography of classic decks, revisited to look neutral and ageless. The same care was used for the drawings of both the Major Arcana and those of the Minor Arcana, as no card is more important than another from an aesthetic point of view.
The design on the back of the cards is symmetric, in order not to reveal the direction of the cards before they are turned face up. At the center of the back design there is a circle that symbolizes the centrality of the Major Arcana. The eight-pointed star in the middle has a long history as a symbol of spirituality and prophecy. A floral decoration, with roses and thorns, surrounds the circle. The symbols of the four elements in the corners indicate the four suits of the Minor Arcana.
