Arty Farty Friday ~ A Pre-Raphaelite Feminist

Pre-Raphaelite art has been a longtime favourite of mine. I don't know quite why - it's not "cool" it's not surreal, it's not abstract, yet it's not exactly 'real' either. The richness of the images attracts me, the skill of the painters has to be obvious to any with good vision! There are several relevant posts around my archives (see "Pre-Raphaelites" in the label cloud in the sidebar).

 Marie Spartali Stillman by Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

Marie Spartali Stillman, however, is a name I had not come across before seeing it in the list of birthdays for 10 March (in 1844).

A few snips from an article by by Claire Komacek titled Marie Spartali Stillman – A Pre-Raphaelite Feminist Paints Empowered Women.

Although she is considered to be the greatest Pre-Raphaelite female artist, Marie Spartali Stillman is still virtually unknown and underrepresented in the canon of art history. One of a small number of professional women artists working during the second half of the nineteenth century, her work has largely been overlooked due to the fact that most of it resides in private collections, but moreover that her status as model to the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood overshadowed her career as artist. Drawing upon her own Greek heritage and experience modeling for the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Spartali painted images of active, empowered women that challenged the male gaze.

Spartali was born into an affluent Greek merchant family in London. Her father, Greek Consul-General to the United Kingdom and patron of the arts, frequently hosted garden parties to which he invited young, up-and-coming artists and writers; this is undoubtedly how Spartali’s exceptional, unique beauty came to the attention of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. They regarded her as a ‘stunner,’ ‘a woman so beautiful she ought to be painted, and throughout her lifetime Spartali would come to ‘be most valued for her role as an artist’s model.

Discontent with being purely the recipient of male gazes, Spartali desired to become an artist herself, and in 1864 she begged her father to allow her to study drawing and painting under Ford Madox Brown, the eldest member of the Pre-Raphaelite circle. She trained with him for six years, during which she continued modeling for her artist-friends, and sat for Brown for several drawings

It doesn't come as much of a surprise to discover that this lady was from a wealthy family. In the 19th century, trying to find news of a female painter from among ordinary folk, working class, poor and underprivileged - and there were a whole lot of them - would be petty darn fruitless. If a young woman of poor or working class background had spectacular looks, the best opportunity she might have had, if living in certain areas, would be to act as a model for painters. If she happened to have an innate artistic talent herself - good luck with that - she could draw and paint to her heart's delight, if she could afford the materials, but nobody outside of family and friends would ever see her work.


For a selection of Marie's paintings do take a look at this website:

Also:





ASTROLOGY

Born in London on 10 March 1844. Time of birth unknown, chart set for 12 noon, ascendant and Moon position will not be correct.

Brief notes only:
Natal Sun and Jupiter in Pisces, Moon almost certainly in Sagittarius - Pisces and Sagittarius are, traditionally, both Jupiter-ruled signs. I don't know exactly why, but I've always felt that the Pre-Raphaelites' style was kind of Jupitarian in nature - rich, sumptuous, big. Seeing their paintings in real life may be necessary to get this effect fully, however. I'm lucky enough to have done so, back in Manchester, UK.

Marie was "ahead of her time" in that she managed to shine and become well-appreciated as a painter, in times when women found it nigh on impossible to succeed in the art world, other than as models. It's no surprise to find in her chart 3 planets, Mercury, Neptune, & Saturn in Aquarius, sign of the avant garde. Saturn is in sextile to Uranus in Aries, linking the traditional rulers of Aquarius rather helpfully. While Saturn represents traditionalism and Uranus all that is modern - here we have a female painter painting in broadly traditional style while being herself, whether she realised it or not, on the leading edge of a feminism still to come to full maturity.

The cluster of 3 planets: Pluto, Venus (planet of the arts) and Mars in late Aries (ruled by Mars)& early Taurus (ruled by Venus) adds to the feel that this is the chart of a forward thrusting initiator.


Click on the image of these two paintings by Marie Spartali Stillman for a larger, clearer view.

 The Enchanted Garden of Messer Ansaldo, 1889

 Love's Messenger

Arty Farty Friday ~ Censorship?

Why have mildly erotic nymphs been removed from a Manchester gallery? Is Picasso next?
Jonathan Jones

I'd ask the same question! This is a Pre-Raphaelite painting by J.M. Waterhouse, depicting a tale from Greek mythology. Hylas has fallen in love with the water nymphs. He is not about to rape or sexually harass them. Where's the objection to this -it surely cannot be bare breasts? Dang, some of the gowns worn to the Golden Globe Awards showed off almost as much - and more voluptuous versions. What about Venus de Milo and countless paintings of Venus naked or nearly so? Females as sexual objects? Yep, that happens, but not in this painting. Caa-ahhm on!

I've always loved Pre-Raphaelite art, and in 2005 on my last trip to England, visited the Manchester Art Gallery specifically to see their fine collection of paintings by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. I looked upon this very painting then. How anyone could see it as being objectionable, I cannot imagine.

There are several archived posts touching on Pre-Raphaelite artists and their work, accessible from the Label cloud in the side bar by clicking on "Pre-Raphaelites" there.

Another, rather more understandable, censoring of a painting was under consideration on this side of the Atlantic, at the end of last year, at The Met in New York:

New Yorkers launched a petition demanding that the Metropolitan Museum of Art remove a 1938 painting of a young woman with her underwear exposed due to the “current climate around sexual assault” — but the Met refused.

The piece, “Thérèse Dreaming” by French artist Balthus, “sexualizes” the girl by depicting her lounging in a skirt with her knee up on a chair, according to the petition, which was posted on the website Care 2.

See HERE

I'm not a fan of Balthus, but this is not one of his most objectionable works, at least to my eye - but then I'm a female, sight of knickers does not excite me. An archived post of mine covers Balthus here: Shock Art.

I hope that these attempts at art censorship will prove to have been isolated instances, rather than forerunners of a coming pattern. What would follow - could it be the burning of books? Unchecked, we'd then be heading for something akin to Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451.

Arty Farty Friday ~ Ford Madox Brown - Aries x 6

 Self portrait

I've chosen to feature Victorian artist Ford Madox Brown as much for his unusually Aries-packed natal chart as for his paintings. More on the astrology later in this post.










His style has similarity with that of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (including Rossetti, Hunt and Millais), but he was some years older than the main group of Pre-Raphaelites, and in fact has been described as having pioneered the style of painting which which came to be known as Pre-Raphaelite before the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was actually founded in 1848.

Ford Madox Brown's paintings tended to be less "perfect", more down to earth, sympathetic to ordinary people, less in awe of the beautiful people, whether mythical or real. He was a longtime friend of my own hero, William Morris. In 1861 he was one of the founding members of William Morris' business, Morris, Marshall, Faulkner and Company (later Morris and Company).

Brown was born, according to Astrodatabank on 16 April 1821 at 4.00 PM in Calais, France to English parents. He studied in Europe, remained in France for some years, married his first wife, Elizabeth. Their first child died in infancy in 1842, a second child was born in 1843. They moved to England in 1844. However Elizabeth contracted tuberculosis, and died aged 27 on the journey back to England from Rome where she had been staying. Brown married again, to a younger woman, Emma Hill, who had been his model, and live in lover for several years. He's said also to have had some "associations" with women outside his marriage, in particular with another artist, Marie Spartali Stillman and a writer, Mathilde Blind.

Detail of his biography is at Wikipedia.
Also, there's a good combinations of biographical facts and copious illustrations
at Hoocher.com HERE.

As for Brown's personality, I've gleaned little. At mentalfloss there's this note:

4. According to one source, Brown "threw brilliant parties, hosted animated debates and even fashionable seances." The article goes on to state that Brown's admirers considered him "the handsomest man in London" as well as "the best conversationalist." Apparently, he was referred to as a "King of Hearts."

Ford Madox Brown's best known paintings are The Last of England, Work, and the frescoes he painted for Manchester's Town Hall.


Click on image for a bigger version:

 The Last of England (1855)

The painting tells the story of the emigration of a young family from England to Australia; part of the emigrating movement of the 1850s, when people sought new lives around the British Empire.
See HERE.
Compelled to leave all they have known and loved, their grim stoicism testifies to their determination.

The Last of England also tells the story of the artist, Ford Madox Brown. In 1852, he was "intensely miserable, very hard up and not a little mad". The main figures are portraits of Brown and his beloved model, Emma Hill, whom he married in 1853. They form a solid unit, bound together in their love. It is a painting full of human emotion, incident and drama; from the vulnerability of their baby's tiny hand to the savage anger of the figures in the background.

His painting, Work, really needs to be seen in large format, this is better done by going to Wikipedia HERE and clicking on the image there.

From The Guardian:

Underpinning these two great paintings lay Brown's abiding interest in the underdog. Unlike his friend William Morris, he was never a systematic socialist, opting instead to make a series of pragmatic and personal interventions in the lives of the poor. He taught art at the Working's Mens' College and, later, set up the Labour Bureau in Manchester. In the same way, his art is one of engaged observation rather than noisy propaganda. Perhaps this was because, unlike the independently wealthy Morris, Brown understood poverty to be a complex, nuanced business. While never actually starving, he spent at least two decades of his working life harried by a lack of cash. The Last of England sold for less than it should, and Brown's hyper-sensitivity also meant that he tended to crash up against the institutions and people who would have done him most good.

Below is just one example of frescos in Manchester Town Hall (click on it for a bigger version)
- the rest can be seen at the BBC website HERE.

From the same Guardian piece:

Although he had no prior relationship with Manchester, its brisk, nonconformist atmosphere suited him particularly well. While reviewing the city's history to find subjects for his murals, he found an abundance of moments that chimed with his own subtle understanding of the human condition.

ASTROLOGY

What can I say? All personal planets are in Aries, apart from Moon in Libra - a predominantly Cardinal chart. Moon in Venus-ruled, arty Libra symbolically depicts a kind of funnel through which all Aries' pioneering, motivated and forceful attributes are directed. Moon lay in opposition to
Venus, Saturn and Jupiter, with Libra's best balancing act going on to calm down the worst of Aries' impetuosities and aggressive instincts.

Generational outer planets Uranus and Neptune were in exact conjunction in Capricorn when Ford Madox Brown was born.

From Gary Lorentzen's website:

Uranus/Neptune in the 19th Century—Economic Self-Interest vs Social Benefit ~
The old Sagittarius influence was gone and an entirely new, modern impulse was shaping the expression of Uranus/Neptune. Commercial capitalism was replaced by industrial capitalism and a growing state capitalism. Colonialism came into its own as states consolidated their holdings forming extended, global empires. Almost immediately, however, there was a reaction to this trend in the form of a growing socialist/communist movement that applied the lessons of the previous cycles to a new, scientific materialism and scientific state management. But the conjunction took place in Capricorn in the Capricorn decanate. The impulse to move away from the old Sagittarian idealism was strong, and a new, more practical, economic idealism was forming.

That does fit Brown's art, generational and astrological outlook well. The conjunction makes challenging square aspects to his natal Mercury and Mars in Aries - could be seen as challenging him to get with the new paradigm!

Art for Equinox

Five suitably autumnal paintings (below) for the autumnal equinox coming up on Sunday. These are by Sir John Everett Millais (1829-1896). He was one of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood whose paintings I've always loved. The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, from around 1848 in England, began as a secret, select group of artists: Dante Gabriel Rossetti, his brother William Michael Rossetti, Thomas Woolner, William Holman Hunt, Frederic George Stephens, James Collinson, and John Everett Millais. They banded together to rebel against the current art establishment, the British Royal Academy and their then formulaic approach to art instruction. More HERE.

Sir John was never my favourite member of the Brotherhood, but I suspect the digital images below do no justice to his paintings. I've seen some of the Pre-Raphaelites' works "in the flesh", and they are breathtaking. There's an old post of mine on those artists and their natal charts here.

It'll be several weeks more before the Oklahoma autumnal scene catches up with the season shown in these paintings; at the moment it still seems like high summer. I wait with increasing impatience!

(For enlarged versions click on the images.)

 Sound of Many Waters

 Autumn Leaves

 Winter Fuel

 A Dream of the Past

 Rosalind in the Forest

Arty Farty Friday ~ Another Sun in Libra painter with a sad story: Simeon Solomon

Searching for another arty Sun in Libra birthday I found the name of Simeon Solomon.

(Photograph from the album 'Portraits of Many Persons of Note', Frederick Hollyer, 1866.)

Simeon Solomon was born in London on 8 October 1840. He is described at Wikipedia as "an English Pre-Raphaelite painter". Huh? I thought I knew of all of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, and have mentioned them more than once in posts over the years. (See HERE for example). I love their art: William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, also John William Waterhouse, William Morris and others. But Simeon Solomon? Why haven't I come across him in the past?

Answer - he was gay.

In Victorian England, to be homosexual was an uncomfortable situation indeed, and one which resulted in Solomon's "disgrace", after being arrested on more than one occasion in situations akin to those in which George Michael was discovered more than a century later. I've often said that George Michael deserves a dope slap for putting himself in such a predicament when it was surely quite unnecessary to do in public what could have been done in private, considering his wealth; much the same applies to Simeon Solomon. He was born into a prominent and wealthy Jewish family, all with artistic tendencies. He studied and later had his work exhibited at the Royal Academy. He had access to "all the right people", could have been equally as famous as any of 'em.

And what did he do? Get caught in a public urinal doing unmentionables with a gardener. He didn't even learn his lesson then. He was caught "at it" again in Paris, resulting in arrest, imprisonment, and disgrace among his peers. He fell into alcoholism and poverty.

After Solomon's death, in 1905, in abject poverty in a London workhouse, his work began to be shown and appreciated; for that, at least, we can be thankful.

A look at his natal chart, then examples of his work:



Sun in Venus-ruled Libra in harmonious trine to Neptune in Aquarius is a good start for an artist - Venus is planet of the arts, Neptune connects to imagination and creativity.....and to another side of Solomon's nature: his addictive trait (sex addiction?) Planet of the arts itself, Venus, is in passionate, erotic Scorpio, along with Jupiter.

There's a "chain" of linked planets here: starting at Sun 15 Libra - Jupiter 19 Scorpio (semi-sextile) - Saturn 17 Sagittarius (semi sextile Jupiter, sextile Sun - then Neptune 12 Aquarius (sextile Saturn, trine Sun) - Uranus 17 Pisces (trine Jupiter etc. quincunx Sun) - Pluto 19 Aries (trine Saturn...and so on). The "chain" sets up harmonious sextiles and trines, and mildly helpful semisextiles but also includes some challenging aspects - it's not all "beer and skittles"! I think chains such as this one have to indicate the coordination of positive and negative at some level.

Let's see, here we have Sun (self) "helped" by Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune. But Uranus, eccentric planet of the the unexpected sits uncomfortably in quincunx (150*) to Sun, though is in harmony with the excesses of sexy and erotic Scorpio Jupiter. That might well connect to events that led to Simeon Solomon's downfall.


A Young Musician



The Sleepers and One Who Watcheth



Mercury




The Moon and Sleep



The Mother of Moses



Head of Medusa



A Prelude by Bach




Dante's First Meeting With Beatrice Portinari



Babylon Hath Been a Golden Cup



Fanny Beaton

Arty Farty Friday ~ The Pre-Raphaelites

Looking back to one of my earliest posts on art, from 2006, now with a few years' blogging experience under my belt, I can appreciate that my early effort needed a good dusting down. The core point of it stands though, so here's an updated version of my thoughts on the art and astrology of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.
(Left: "Lady Lilith" by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, one of the movement's leading lights.)

To passing readers in the USA, the Pre-Raphaelite movement might seem obscure. Its art was, and is, largely unrecognised here. It didn't travel across the Atlantic as well as did Art Nouveau and Art Deco. Even so, I think that over the decades some of the best examples may have become familiar worldwide.

In England, in 1848, three artists banded together, deciding that they'd had enough of the current British art scene. They were irked by what they saw as stagnant and uninspiring work. Paintings at that time consisted mainly of boring landscapes with cattle, stags at bay, seascapes, still life studies, or family portraits.

The three rebellious artists seeking change were Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Holman Hunt, and Sir John Everett Millais. The name of the movement they founded - "The Pre-Raphaelites" stems from their determination to take inspiration from a time before the artist Raphael set standards in art which they felt had been followed for too long. Their vision was to paint real, unidealised landscapes, figures drawn from life, to real proportions, and grouped without stylised arrangement. They favoured subjects from poetry, mythology, religion or mediaeval tales. Paintings were to be vibrant, so they used a white paint background base - which certainly adds impact when viewed next to other contemporary Victorian art. Vivid colour and lyrical forms were to be used for dramatic and emotional effect. Several other artists soon joined the original three, and their work became well known in Britain, attracting both criticism and praise from contemporaries.

I've set 12 noon charts for the three principal founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, half expecting to see some link between them involving Uranus, reflecting their common rebellious attitude - but the link comes via Jupiter. Jupiter is the royal blue glyph like an "L" with a cross on the horizontal bar.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti born 12 May 1828, London, England.



William Holman Hunt born 2 April 1827, London, England.



Sir John Everett Millais born 8 June 1829, Southampton, England.



Immediately clear is Jupiter's opposition to Sun, or Mercury in each case.

Rossetti - Sun 21* Taurus, Mercury 8* opposed by Jupiter @ 7 Scorpio.
Millais- Sun 17* Gemini opposed by Jupiter 9* Sagittarius.
Holman Hunt -Sun 11* Aries opposed by Jupiter 9* Libra (Pluto and Mercury at 5* and 17*Aries respectively.

Less significantly, in all 3 charts, Neptune in Capricorn (widely) opposes a personal planet in Cancer.

The oppositions involving Jupiter are significant. Skyscript has this to say about such aspects:

"The opposition of the Sun and Jupiter suggests an over-expanded ego. Jupiter deals with judgment, and with this aspect, the drive for significance is subject to being overemphasized. There is often a tendency toward extravagance and pretension. You can have too much optimism, and promise more than you can deliver. There is a continuous need to control urges to enter grandiose schemes and avoid ostentatious manners. The strength of this aspect lies in the ability to apply much charm to gain the approval of those dealt with in daily affairs. There is often much talent and creativity associated with this aspect." ( Jupiter/Mercury opposition is mainly similar).

Pretension, over-optimism, grandiose schemes, fit the bill quite well. I guess it was pretty pretentious in those days to think one could do better than "the establishment" in art. It must have been quite a challenge to stand against the status quo in the art world of Victorian England. Uranus would seem a more appropriate focus in such a case, yet this group of artists were actually looking backward for inspiration, rather than inventing a new style, so Uranus energy may not be applicable.

Weboteric Astrology tells us:

Jupiter rules the law and moral authority, and our attitude to these issues. It brings a strong desire for understanding and the tendency to have powerful opinions and convictions The aspects Jupiter makes shows a psychological identity characteristic where the need for expansion, influence and understanding is paramount. These aspects show the specific personal drives where the search for wisdom is most intense.

Even though Jupiter is found in 3 different signs, elements and modes (Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius - Air, Water, Fire - Cardinal, Fixed, Mutable) the strong link between the three charts remains. Jupiter is in a similar section of the relevant sign (7 or 9 degrees) and in similar aspect to Sun and/or Mercury.

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood disbanded after a few years but, in England at least, their body of work has endured. I enjoy their paintings a lot. I saw a collection of Pre-Raphaelite art at the Manchester City Art Gallery on my last visit to the UK. It was wonderful to encounter the real thing at close quarters. These are not works to hang in today's small living rooms, they are large pieces, need gallery space and the right light to show off fine workmanship and vibrant colors.

ROMAN WIDOW ~ Dante Gabriel Rossetti



BOWER MEADOW ~ Dante Gabriel Rossetti



ISABELLA & THE POT OF BASIL ~ William Holman Huntdepicting a scene from John Keats's poem of the same name. It depicts the heroine Isabella caressing the basil pot in which she had buried her murdered lover Lorenzo's severed head.



THE HIRELING SHEPHERD ~ William Holman Hunt




BUBBLES ~ Sir John Everett Millais



THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE ~ Sir John Everett Millais