Arcanum Tarot - digital refinement with cinematic imagery
Some tarot cards lean heavily on line drawings or symbolic shorthand. This deck does something else. Renata Lechner works digitally and paints landscapes and figures that feel like stepping into a film. The light is soft, the colours are muted, the atmosphere is ethereal.
The Arcanum Tarot follows the structure of the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition. The Major and Minor Arcana are all present, and the compositions are recognisable. Yet the cards feel different because of how Lechner places figures in dreamlike, sometimes surreal environments.
What you see on the cards
Every image is worked out in detail. Figures are painted realistically, but the backgrounds have something elusive about them. Veils of mist, soft contrasts, warm and cool tones side by side without shouting.
The cards have a glossy finish. That strengthens the cinematic impression. Light reflects off the card, just as light within the images themselves plays a guiding role. It makes the deck visually powerful, but it also asks for quiet looking. Haste does not work here.
How this deck relates to tradition
The foundation is classic. The Fool, the Magician, the High Priestess: they are all there, in an order and with symbolism you will recognise if you know RWS. But the execution is contemporary.
Where a classic deck uses sharp lines and primary colours, Lechner chooses softness and painted texture. That makes the cards more accessible for people who struggle with older, stiffer styles. At the same time it offers enough depth for readers who have worked with tarot for years.
Lay a card in front of you and look only at the light first. Where does it fall, where does it come from, what stays in shadow. That often tells half the story already.
About Renata Lechner
Renata Lechner is an Italian artist best known for her digital painting technique. Besides the Arcanum Tarot she also created the Thelema Tarot, a deck used worldwide.
Her work is characterised by a balance between realism and symbolism. Figures are human, recognisable, but the worlds they inhabit are timeless. That makes her style suited to tarot, where the focus is on archetypes that work across cultures and eras.
Specifications
- Number of cards: 78 (Major and Minor Arcana)
- Card size: 70 x 120 mm
- Finish: glossy cardstock
- Guidebook: multilingual compact booklet (incl. English)
- Artist: Renata Lechner
- Publisher: Lo Scarabeo
- ISBN: 9788865275425
Questions we often get
Is this deck suitable for beginners?
Yes. The structure is classic RWS, so the cards are recognisable. The images are clear enough to work with without prior knowledge. The guidebook gives basic meanings per card.
What sets this deck apart from other RWS-based decks?
The digital painting style and the cinematic atmosphere. Where many decks choose line drawings or symbolic simplifications, Lechner builds entire worlds around each card. That makes the deck visually richer, but also slower to work with.
