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New Century Tarot      2003 Rolf Eichelmann      USA                                                   Art Medium: Acrylic paintings. Description: In 1989 Rolf Eichelmann was given by his wife a copy of Stuart Kaplan's 'Tarot Classic'. This lead to him working, over the period of more than ten years to create this tarot deck. In the suit of Wands the background is a green sky with reddish clouds. The pips are shown on a red patterned veil of backcloth. In the suit of Cups the background is a red sky with crimson clouds. The pips are shown on a light blue patterned veil, appearing to drop from the sky. The cards in the suit of Swords all show a blue sky, with clouds in a reddish hue. The pips are shown on a yellow patterned veil. The cards in the suit of Pentacles all show a yellow sky with reddish clouds. The pips are shown on a blue patterned veil or backdrop. These veils also appear as a background to the court cards. Different coloured veils appear on the Majors. Rolf Eichelmann (1940-) is a German-Greek painter. From 1956 to 1959 he studied portrait drawing and anatomy at the Art Academy of Paul Linke in Karlsruhe. From 1959 to 1962 he studied interior design and in 1969 became an architect. By the late 1960s, he broke away from traditional painting and developed his personal style creating many works in gouache . In the early 70s he was inspired by the Surrealists. In 1995, he developed a fascination for the subject of tarot. During a stay on the Canary Island of La Gomera he drew numerous designs for the "Major Arcana" in acrylic on canvas. He refers to this style as "new, decorative, fantastic realism". The deck was originally published as 'Das Golden Gomera Tarot'.