I wasn't particularly inspired by any artist born around this time who'd not already been under the Arty Farty Friday microscope, so... a tidied version of something from past pages, featuring a pin-up artist, one of the best and foremost of his day: George Petty. He was born on 27 April 1894, in southern Louisiana, died in 1975.
In one particular genre of art, USA artists cornered the market: pin-up art. I enjoy it, admire it and don't give a damn what feminists have to say about it. Pin-up art is highly skilled airbrush work - not easy to master, or so I'd guess. One of my very early blog posts, from 2006, features several pin-up artists and their "Neptune connection" - that post is definitely in need of a tidy-up, but the information is readable.
George Petty's father's profession, photographer, no doubt had influence on the younger Petty, especially as Dad enjoyed producing photographs of women, often nude women. The family moved from Louisiana to Chicago where George grew up. He attended evening classes at the Art Institute. He later studied in Paris at Académie Julian, famous for its alumni, John Singer Sargent, Alfonse Mucha, Matisse, and particularly influential to George Petty, J.C. Leyendecker - see archived post HERE. On return to the USA George wasn't drafted to serve in World War 1 as his father had died, leaving him as head of family.
He worked for an advertising agency, won first prize in the 1933 Chicago World's Fair poster contest. When the magazine Esquire was launched George Petty was engaged as a cartoonist. He lost no time in including in his presentations evidence of his fine talent for illustrating beautiful females. This led to more advertising work - swimsuits, cigarettes and more varied work for Esquire, True magazine and for calendars - those for the Ridge Tool company were to become internationally famous.
What came to be known as The Petty Girl had arrived. Petty never looked back. Petty Girls were idolised by military men of World War 2, Petty Girl copies were famously painted by military artists, The Girls were carried into battle on the noses of war planes. Below is a (possibly not as Petty-like as some) example of nose art from my husband's vintage photograph collection. Click on image to link to it + comments at Flickr.
Shrewd businessman as well as talented artist, Petty always retained secondary rights and kept his original artwork; use of his work on playing cards, glassware etc was strictly licensed. The core of his business was kept within his family circle. His wife added her ideas, son posed as date to Petty Girls. His good-looking daughter Marjorie was always his main model. All of which, for me, indicates there was no sleazy, soft-porn intention to any of his work, rather there was an innocently teasing feel to it, never crossing the line, hinting only, sometimes quite pointedly but never vulgar.
ASTROLOGY
Sun in Earthy, Venus-ruled Taurus, and in first decan (tenth) of the sign, the Taurus decan, underlined his artistic temperament. There's emphasis on neighbouring sign, Airy Gemini, generational Neptune & Pluto with Jupiter are close together there. Mars in Aquarius and Saturn in Libra form a loose Air Grand Trine with the Gemini planets - could be seen as a nice reflection of his skills with the....AIRbrush ? Or even carriage through the AIR of his Petty Girls - on the noses of aircraft ?
In that Airy circuit Neptune (creative), Pluto (erotic), Jupiter (wide publication), Saturn in Libra (fair-minded business sense) and Mars in Aquarius - (ambition, energy, unconventional) - all fitting for what we know of George Petty.
Born before 6:00 AM his natal Moon would have been in business-oriented Capricorn; if born later, natal Moon would have been in unconventional Aquarius; either would fit, and blend with the general flavour of his natal chart. It's a pity no birth time is available, we can't know his rising sign or exactly where the planets fall in relation to the chart's angles.
A few examples of his Girls, many more can be found via Google Image:
In one particular genre of art, USA artists cornered the market: pin-up art. I enjoy it, admire it and don't give a damn what feminists have to say about it. Pin-up art is highly skilled airbrush work - not easy to master, or so I'd guess. One of my very early blog posts, from 2006, features several pin-up artists and their "Neptune connection" - that post is definitely in need of a tidy-up, but the information is readable.
George Petty's father's profession, photographer, no doubt had influence on the younger Petty, especially as Dad enjoyed producing photographs of women, often nude women. The family moved from Louisiana to Chicago where George grew up. He attended evening classes at the Art Institute. He later studied in Paris at Académie Julian, famous for its alumni, John Singer Sargent, Alfonse Mucha, Matisse, and particularly influential to George Petty, J.C. Leyendecker - see archived post HERE. On return to the USA George wasn't drafted to serve in World War 1 as his father had died, leaving him as head of family.
He worked for an advertising agency, won first prize in the 1933 Chicago World's Fair poster contest. When the magazine Esquire was launched George Petty was engaged as a cartoonist. He lost no time in including in his presentations evidence of his fine talent for illustrating beautiful females. This led to more advertising work - swimsuits, cigarettes and more varied work for Esquire, True magazine and for calendars - those for the Ridge Tool company were to become internationally famous.What came to be known as The Petty Girl had arrived. Petty never looked back. Petty Girls were idolised by military men of World War 2, Petty Girl copies were famously painted by military artists, The Girls were carried into battle on the noses of war planes. Below is a (possibly not as Petty-like as some) example of nose art from my husband's vintage photograph collection. Click on image to link to it + comments at Flickr.
Shrewd businessman as well as talented artist, Petty always retained secondary rights and kept his original artwork; use of his work on playing cards, glassware etc was strictly licensed. The core of his business was kept within his family circle. His wife added her ideas, son posed as date to Petty Girls. His good-looking daughter Marjorie was always his main model. All of which, for me, indicates there was no sleazy, soft-porn intention to any of his work, rather there was an innocently teasing feel to it, never crossing the line, hinting only, sometimes quite pointedly but never vulgar.
ASTROLOGY
Sun in Earthy, Venus-ruled Taurus, and in first decan (tenth) of the sign, the Taurus decan, underlined his artistic temperament. There's emphasis on neighbouring sign, Airy Gemini, generational Neptune & Pluto with Jupiter are close together there. Mars in Aquarius and Saturn in Libra form a loose Air Grand Trine with the Gemini planets - could be seen as a nice reflection of his skills with the....AIRbrush ? Or even carriage through the AIR of his Petty Girls - on the noses of aircraft ?
In that Airy circuit Neptune (creative), Pluto (erotic), Jupiter (wide publication), Saturn in Libra (fair-minded business sense) and Mars in Aquarius - (ambition, energy, unconventional) - all fitting for what we know of George Petty.Born before 6:00 AM his natal Moon would have been in business-oriented Capricorn; if born later, natal Moon would have been in unconventional Aquarius; either would fit, and blend with the general flavour of his natal chart. It's a pity no birth time is available, we can't know his rising sign or exactly where the planets fall in relation to the chart's angles.
A few examples of his Girls, many more can be found via Google Image:
Natal Sun is at 1*Taurus, ruled by Venus, planet of beauty - of course! Mercury is also in Taurus at 16*. I notice there are several planets in the middle degrees of signs - not sure what, if anything this might signify. There's a nice Grand Trine in Water signs involving Jupiter, Uranus and Pluto, the Moon might be involved too, but without a time of birth we can't be sure. This easy flowing configuration of planets in Water signs might well have endowed Bettie with an innate understanding of how to appeal to the emotions of the opposite sex, especially those of her own generation many of whom who would have revolutionary Uranus and sexy Pluto in trine too. Jupiter in trine with these two generational planets in Bettie's chart could have assisted in "publishing" her many charms to a wide audience.