The Astrology Behind The Art…
Thanks everyone for the great comments on Scott’s essay regarding the Cellist Series. Since some astrologers showed up, I thought it might be interesting to talk about his chart, or at least of a piece of it.
Scott has Venus (art) conjunct Mars (sex, aggression) and Pluto (intensity). Now if you understand astrology, then you realize when planets are conjunct (placed close together in a chart) they do not operate independently. Ever.
So with this in mind, if you go back and read his post you can see how this manifests. In Scott’s reality, sex, anger and intensity are absolutely fused with his art. And I went back to some things he wrote in 2002 that also vividly illustrate this:
Here, he is talking about his playing in contrast to another pianist. A childhood rival, actually and it’s strangest thing.
I met my other biracial musician friend Ben when I was 22. I had already known Scott for 7 years by then. And as it turned out, Ben was friends with Scott’s rival! Good friends. As a matter of fact, Ben and this other pianist remained friends and played together for more than a decade…and of course Scott and I did same, lol.
But anyway, here’s his writing from back then (edited lightly). And if you read it with the astrology in mind, you can see how purely he expresses his energy. I am going to call the other pianist “Tom” which is a pseudonym.
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Scott writes:
Elsie, I don’t think “Tom” and I ever went to high school together. We would run into one another at piano competitions and stuff (he would never win when I was around) and he was a bit younger than me. However, I did hear that he had turned into a pretty fine pianist playing, among other things, all the Chopin etudes, which is quite an accomplishment.
Tom was really in awe of a pianist who was actually, in some ways, better than me, and I’m not making this name up, “name omitted”. My dad used to call him “Farty”. Farty went from being a mediocre straight music student to the gayest queen this side of Harvey Fierstein and a fine pianist in the space of a year. It was really amazing. Farty was in college (older than me; I was just in high school) and Tom modeled himself on Farty after I had left.
I believe Tom always thought my playing was rather brutal and I always found Tom’s playing too lightweight and effeminate (as I did Farty’s). It was sort of the difference between masculine and feminine wrought bold in piano interpretation. But, I actually never heard Tom play as much as he heard me so he might have other ideas about the differences between us.
I responded:
“I prefer the virile, over the flowery myself.”
And Scott wrote back:
I know you do. (Most women do and did). I always attracted women with my playing. The problem with Tom and Farty and others, is their playing is fine and beautiful and all that, but sometimes lacks definition, emphasis and power. In a large hall, this really comes across as a defect as they can’t be heard well up in the balcony. Me, on the other hand, nobody ever had to strain to hear; I was power all the way baby, with Chevrolet!
Woooooooooooooooooooooo NELLI!
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So there you go. Astrology alive.
And what about you? What kind of energy do you like in your art?
Johnny Depp wrote an essay about the painter Jean-Michel Basquiat which grounded his affinity in their shared fondness for pork products. Still, he doesn’t like all of the work.
I love a critic. Sometimes.
1 definition of critic: One who offers unsolicited advice.
For me, its too late (or too early?) like a particular energy in my art. I like intellect and emotion in my art. (Would you like some
Ur-0-As to go with those Ne|Pl squares?) The artsy fartsy types know emotion alone does not get one to the big show anymore. (arise balanced Libra!)
I like powerful, mind blowing energy, and not energy that comes out sideways, mangled, stifled, or boils over all at once. (like Ma|Sa-Pl or Ma|Sa-Ur can) That said, I also like measured yet flowing expressions of elegance, delicacy and refinement. (Mo|Ve|Ju-Ne)
I look at the quote, “I was power all the way baby!” Uh huh….been there, done that. I know how to steamroll people too. It stops feeling good when I realize my lack of subtlety or damage done does not warrant the self serving relief of unmodulated release.(Aries) Not that I expect that of Scott’s playing, but its pretty typical of those of us proud to ‘turn it up to 11’.
One of my most challenging teachers (fixed grand cross) is quite clear that good art isn’t necessarity good for you. I guess I agree, but deep down (right now) I love art energy that is more elevating than degrading. More transforming than disturbing. More provocative than pornographic. (dignified Jupiter, weak Saturn)
I like to meditate on works of art, and prefer what I take in to leave a residue of sensation worth revisiting.
My art. My art is not yet honest or even mine, but it is becoming…
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I like art that inspires me to new perspectives on old questions. I like art that allows me to apply various systems of analysis, and my acute sensitivity of feeling. My favorite is the queen of sciences, the art of astrology. I love the individual nuances that shine through in its practice.
Really Miss Elsa, when you say, “what kind of energy do you like in your art?” I hear, “Write some more. Show me your chart with words.” (Me|Ne)
My chart you might say is, ‘exquisite’. A few years ago one of the AFA’s board members courted me, promising young astrologer that I was. When she erected my data she wrote, ” If I didn’t know you CC, I’d think you were a sociopath!” (she went on to testify as an expert witness in a terrorism trial where the defendant was electing his bombings. The charts were used as incriminating evidence.) Let’s assume she knew what she was talking about.
Yeah, that’s the energy I like.
Nothing too vanilla 🙂
But it has to be sensual. Rich, deep, speak to the soul… (i have mars venus conjunction too venus in scorpio mars in libra)
A little bit of That and This and the Other Thing.
Oh wow. This is very cool.
What kind of energy do I like in my art? I want to answer with intensity, but that seems vague, doesn’t it? Or broad. Or overused. If music can make my heart clench, or make me want to rage, or do wild stuff to my brain waves, or multiple layers that make me “see” them, or make me feel like I’m tripping out, then that’s good for me. Art like paintings or prints, or visual, I guess, would be multi layered, lots to looks at or maybe somehow so minimal that it’s a lot to think about. Something both giant and small, at the same time. I want the written word to make me think of something I don’t know or in a new way.
I hate boring mundane things unless somehow I need to sleep or need a metronome for something. But isn’t that also subjective?
I have Venus in Capricorn. How’s that for wild and crazy? 🤣 It’s conjunct Mercury so 🤷🏻♀️. My big conjunction is my first house Uranus Pluto moon in Virgo. Mars is in that house, too but a 9° orb from my moon. Mars is trine my Aquarius sun though.