Tarot de la Nuit

Tarot de la Nuit (French for “Tarot of the Night”) was published in 2018 by Lo Scarabeo, with text by Carole-Anne Eschenazi and artwork by Alexandra V. Bach. Bach wanted to create “a whole universe in which darkness would have a deep beauty”.

The close-up shows Bach’s photomanipulation technique: she combines model references with Photoshop work, retaining photographic faces and bodies while transforming their surroundings into digitally assembled fantasy settings.

Above: A before-and-after view of Bach’s photomanipulation process, with model reference photographs credited to Marcus J. Ranum beside the finished artwork for The Devil.

This was the first time the two French collaborators worked together. They later continued the night-themed series with De La Nuit Oracle and De La Nuit Lenormand, and worked together again on Dark Light Oracle.

Bach uses model reference photos and Photoshop to place photographic faces and bodies in digitally assembled fantasy settings. The guidebook describes a world of “dark femininity”, where the fairy realm is close at hand and dreams are real. The art is dark romantic fantasy: women are often central, sensual figures, shown in flowing gowns, corsets or with exposed skin in supernatural settings. See the box .

The guidebook introduces the seven-card Night Spread, which uses night-related terms as metaphors for a journey through a problem: Dreams names the goal; Darkness, the obstacles; Sparkling Stars, support; Moonlight, hope; Sunset, the beginning; Midnight, the crisis; and Sunrise, the outcome.