Arty Farty Friday ~ Pop Revolutionaries

Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein were two of the best known names in Pop Art, a genre which emerged in the 1960s. Whether one looks on their work as true art or simply a quirk in art's lifeline, it's not easy to discount their influence. Adjectives such as radical, revolutionary, eccentric abound in articles about these artists, and their styles. We might expect to see Aquarius prominent in their charts - it isn't, there's no planet in Aquarius in either natal chart. Uranus then?

No Aquarius planets, but there are a few significant similarities.

The chart shape in both cases is a "funnel" or "bucket", with one planet out on a limb, as a "funnel" or "handle" acting, astrologers say, as conduit for the energies of the rest of the chart. In Warhol's case it's Saturn, in Lichtenstein's it's Uranus. Saturn and Uranus are traditional and modern rulers of Aquarius respectively. Something else, too - in each case the "funnel" planet is within 6 degrees of South node of the Moon - one of the sensitive points in any chart.

Both charts have Grand Trines involving Uranus. Sun/Saturn/Uranus in Fire for Warhol. Pluto/Uranus/Venus in Water for Lichtenstein.

Uranus was in Aries when Warhol was born, it trined (harmonious aspect of 120*) his Leo Sun. When Lichtenstein was born Uranus lay in Pisces and it trined(just) his Scorpio Sun. These Uranus related coincidences must surely be more than mere chance?

If a birth time for Lichtenstein were known other similarities might emerge.

EXTRACT, for full piece see here.

"Warhol revolutionized the Pop Art Movement by transforming average, everyday items such as soup cans into celebrated works of art....... His eccentric persona attracted many celebrity writers, actors and artists, and his popularity rose to cult status.

Roy Lichtenstein tried many artistic styles including abstract expressionism, the dominant art movement of the 1950s, before experimenting with budding pop art imagery, his interest in the style of cartoons motivated him to create his signature technique, which incorporates Ben-Day dots, lettering and speech balloons juxtaposed with vibrant primary colors. Lichtenstein worked exhaustively finessing his signature style through painting, printmaking and sculpture.

Many commonalities exist between Warhol and Lichtenstein. They both explored similar themes in their work including comics, advertisements, politics, portraits and nature. In particular, both Warhol and Lichtenstein used the process of printmaking, which mimicked the commercial sources of their imagery and allowed the artists to easily create multiple pieces."

I've also read that Lichtenstein and Warhol collected each other's work.

ANDY WARHOL

ROY LICHENSTEIN

Arty Farty Friday ~ BMW Car Art & Jeff Koons

Some photographs of BMW Art Cars sparked my interest. It appears that since 1975 when the “BMW Art Car Project" was launched by racing driver Hervé Poulain, famous artists from all parts of the world have been invited to use the BMW car as their personal canvas. To date 17 such cars have been created, the latest, for 2010, by Jeff Koons - he of the blow-up dogs sculptures and wildly expensive "Hanging Heart" (see below).

I've chosen 4 previous Art Cars from the current 17, the chosen ones painted by artists about whom I've blogged in past posts. A link to relevant pages is included, and a note of the artist's Sun and other signs. I notice a trine Sun to Uranus in each. They're all considered "modernists" and Uranus is nothing if not modern.

Photos of all 17 BMW Art Cars can be viewed HERE.

Starting with the most recently painted car:

The latest BMW car artist, for 2010 and #17 is Jeff Koons
Sun 00 Aquarius opposite Uranus in late Cancer. Well....he would be a quirky Sun Aquarius person wouldn't he? I mean....look what he's famous for!
















JEFF KOONS' BMW Art Car # 17



Jeff Koons' art creations may look like a lot of kitchiness, but....

NEW YORK, 15 NOVEMBER 2007—A new record for a living artist at auction was set when Jeff Koons’ stainless steel Hanging Heart brought $23.6 million yesterday at Sotheby's evening sale of Contemporary Art in New York. Sold to Gagosian Gallery to applause, Hanging Heart, 1994-2006 is considered one of the most important works by Koons ever offered at auction.

The bright magenta heart and gold undulating bow, which took ten years from conception to completion, is one of five uniquely colored versions of this work from Koons’ Celebration series. The perfect surface is coated in more than ten layers of paint. Executed in high chromium stainless steel, Hanging Heart weighs over 3,500 pounds (1,600 kg), is almost nine feet (2.7 meter) tall and took over 6,000 man hours to produce. (Here.)

More detail on this artist and photos of his work at The Skinny:

Jeff Koons is, depending on who you ask, the visual maestro of the contemporary period, or a self-aggrandizing provocateur whose work is ultimately populist and meaningless. He himself has admitted that Pop-Art sensibilities and a strong attachment to the world of marketing and advertising have influenced him tremendously: “I believe in advertisement and media completely. My art and my personal life are based in it. I think that the art world would probably be a tremendous reservoir for everybody involved in advertising. Whatever your beliefs about how future generations will perceive Koons’s work, the sense that he has captured and articulated something vital and significant is undeniable.

Ahem!....."ultimately populist and meaningless"?? Now that remark raises my hackles!
What is meaningless about something that is "populist"? Populism, as opposed to elitism is what the world needs more of. So there!

And back to #1.....

ALEXANDER CALDER painted the very first Art Car. Sun Cancer close trine Uranus Scorpio. Moon Virgo.




ROY LICHENSTEIN
Sun Scorpio trine Uranus Pisces. Moon Taurus or Gemini


ANDY WARHOL Sun Leo trine Uranus/Moon in Aries.


DAVID HOCKNEY
Sun Cancer sextile Uranus Taurus. Moon Cancer or Leo

Warhol & Lichtenstein - Uranian artists.

Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein were two of the best known names in Pop Art, a genre which emerged in the 1960s.

Adjectives such as radical, revolutionary, eccentric abound in articles about these artists, and their styles. We might expect to see Aquarius prominent in their charts - it isn't, there's no planet in Aquarius in either natal chart. (First two pics below by Andy Warhol)








No Aquarius planets, but there are a few significant similarities.







The chart shape in both cases is a "funnel" or "bucket", with one planet out on a limb, as a "funnel" or "handle" and acting as conduit for the energies of the rest of the chart. In Warhol's case it's Saturn, in Lichtenstein's it's Uranus. Saturn and Uranus are traditional and modern rulers of Aquarius respectively. Something else, too - in each case the "funnel" planet is within 6 degrees of South node of the Moon - one of the sensitive points in any chart. Odd!

Both charts have Grand Trines involving Uranus. Sun/Saturn/Uranus in Fire for Warhol. Pluto/Uranus/Venus in Water for Lichtenstein.

Uranus was in Aries when Warhol was born, it trined his Leo Sun. When Lichtenstein was born Uranus lay in Pisces and it trined(just) his Scorpio Sun.

These Uranus related coincidences must surely be more than mere chance?

There may be other similarities too, if we had birth time for Lichtenstein.

EXTRACT

"Warhol revolutionized the Pop Art Movement by transforming average, everyday items such as soup cans into celebrated works of art....... His eccentric persona attracted many celebrity writers, actors and artists, and his popularity rose to cult status.

Roy Lichtenstein tried many artistic styles including abstract expressionism, the dominant art movement of the 1950s, before experimenting with budding pop art imagery, his interest in the style of cartoons motivated him to create his signature technique, which incorporates Ben-Day dots, lettering and speech balloons juxtaposed with vibrant primary colors. Lichtenstein worked exhaustively finessing his signature style through painting, printmaking and sculpture.

Many commonalities exist between Warhol and Lichtenstein. They both explored similar themes in their work including comics, advertisements, politics, portraits and nature. In particular, both Warhol and Lichtenstein used the process of printmaking, which mimicked the commercial sources of their imagery and allowed the artists to easily create multiple pieces."

I've also read that Lichtenstein and Warhol collected each other's work.