Cadmium Red

Today a little story. I went to a lecture once about the artist Philip Guston. An old friend had written his biography and was sharing Philip Guston stories. Born in Canada, moved to Los Angeles when still a kid. His art was heavily influenced by Cartoons and is full of surreal imagery of boots and cigarettes and self-portraits and trash. His early work makes political comments about the Ku Klux Klan. It's often mostly Black & White linework with Red stroked in.

This Red he was into, apparently Guston was really, really into it. He asked to be buried with a tube of Cadmium Red paint because he loved the stuff so much. If you've ever painted with Cadmium Red you know what a powerful pigment it is. Mars rules Red. I thought I'd check his chart for Cadmium Red Fervor indicators. I'm really not in the mood for anything deep today. Sorry, Philip Guston, may you not roll over in disgust and squish your only remaining tube of paint. You really do deserve better, but, like I said, I'm just too lazy right now.

Philip Guston
b. July 27, 1913 Montreal, Canada

Sun 5 Leo; Moon probably in Taurus; NN 26 Pisces

Sun opposite Uranus in Aquarius; NN in Pisces trining ruler of Pisces, Neptune (at least his chart is maxed out on professional artist indicators)

Mars at 29 Taurus. Shit, Tauruses like Art but I think they may prefer Green. I'm not sure what color is Taurus, but it's not Red. This is going to be tougher than I thought. I must penetrate deeper...

Okay, no planets in Aries. I don't know what houses he's got, so that avenue is blocked off. Don't make me look up Midpoints. I still don't know Midpoints... I'm not that desperate.

Hey, wait, we don't need Midpoints. It's Pluto! Pluto rules deep Reds like, say, Cadmium Red Deep. Mars would rule Cadmium Red Light, a more orangy type of Red. And Pluto, deep, powerful, penetrating, sultry, sexy Pluto is at 0 Cancer, an Aries Point. If you have a planet at the Aries Point that quality will come before the public easily. Philip Guston's Pluto brings him forward in the world, brings Fame. Pluto is even squaring his North Node. A painter (Pisces NN) with an obsession (Pluto) for a certain color (Pluto's color) is famous (Pluto) for painting with said color. Dude's even buried with it! Cancer is natural ruler of the 4th house which rules beginning and end of life issues, like graves and burials.

And if you actually look at Guston's subject matter you can see the Pluto influence as well, say covert terrorist organizations and trash and cigarettes and disembodied heads, probably a bit more important point to make. And, actually, there's a Fixed Star at the end of Taurus, very unfortunate, has to do with loosing one's head, this is where Guston's Mars is, and maybe even his Moon.