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Namur Tarot      2000 Martha Leyros      Brazil                                                   Art Medium: Ink drawings with coloured pencil. Description: The Tarot Namur is one of the most beautiful and creative to have emerged from South America. The traditional forms of the 22 Majors are here reworked by the artist Martha Leyros in bright colours. Most of the images stand against a cerulean blue sky and their colours radiate out. Professor Namur Gopalla probably discussed and gave indications to the artist about how he wanted the images depicted, but the deck has its own integrity of style. Martha Leyros' coloured pencil work is direct and dynamic and does not attempt to hide the medium and allows the clear traces of pencil strokes to appear on many of her illustrations. As with other artists in this medium, she uses a pen drawn bold outline for the major forms, while the detailed interior parts are in a thinner pen or pencil line. This tarot is claimed by Gopalla to be the first tarot created and produced in Brazil. The drawings are dated from 1985 through to 1987, which contradicts the supposed publication date for the first edition of 1986, which is mentioned in a number of sources. There is an edition definitively dated 2000, but I am unable to clear up the date of any earlier existing edition. Martha Leyros is, happily, not entirely invisible, and was even given a page on Professor Gopalla's web site (including a photograph of her at work). It turns out that she is Argentinean and Namur Gopalla's 'professorship' may even be self-appointed, but what does this matter when they have created these wonderful cards.