2/100 - Upside down
My atheist father made a solid effort to keep me rational. But then, strangely enough, when I was in my 20's he infected me with some appreciation for Tarot cards. I wasn't really interested in divination when I began reading books about Tarot, the thing interested me was the dense compilation of myths and stories reinterpreted in just a few images.
As far as historians know the tarot cards started as just a game, but as a sticky ball of mythical tape it started collecting lore and mystery as it moved around the world. The oldest known deck (dating back to the 15th century) has some images that are hard to explain, which contributed to the mystery. The hanged man is one of them:
One weird thing for a medieval image is that the hanged man does not have a noose around his neck, but is rather hanging happily upside down. Hanging people from their ankles was a form of torture, but the expression on the figure seems to suggest he's there by choice.
The character I drew is a reference to this card which explains the crossed leg. I was trying to imagine what the hanged man would do after coming down. He ended up looking like quite a mysterious figure.
I hope these deeper dives are interesting to you. I'm curious to see how they evolve as I try to find a voice for this medium. This isn't quite what I would write for the newsletter, or for a blog post, or an instagram caption. But something in between and a little bit looser, as I'm also trying to make fun for myself.
This piece is 2.5" by 3.75" and here is the purchase link.