Three of Swords

Artist: Sarah Pavey

In October 2024, German far-right Alternative für Deutschland party stated that the Bauhaus movement “often led to impersonal architecture that is perceived as cold, unwelcoming and unattractive.” While Bauhaus design does have a particularly minimalist style, often monochrome in nature, Gunta Stölzl’s work is full of warm vibrant colors and exciting shapes that challenge the senses. Traditionally, the Three of Swords divinatory meaning centers around division. In a similar vein, Christopher Marmolejo states in Red Tarot that grief is “condensed into a black box of pain kept hidden at the center of the heart” (114). This is why I choose to emulate Stölzl’s motif of weaving darker boxes with lighter colors in the center. For the swords used in the Pamela Coleman Smith deck I decided to use one sword, a key, and a needle. I was inspired to do this by Red Tarot; Marmolejo writes that rejecting self-hatred is “the key to unlock the imprisoned heart” (115). In this sense swords can function like keys to unlock what is already there, turning pain into beauty as Stölzl used needles to weave. I wanted to depict how weaving binds the rupturing caused by swords and other implements.