Chuck Close

I'm taking a look at another Portrait Painter's chart, the artist Chuck Close, a photo-realist portrait painter. There's an excellent DVD Documentary about him called "Chuck Close - A Portrait in Process" which I highly recommend. I knew that Close was a successful painter of Big Heads in a photo-realist style but never really appreciated the extreme Realism of his work or the grid patterns within which he worked. Amazingly, his work became much more playful and expressive after he suffered spinal damage from a blood clot. He had figured out how to strap the brush onto his hand and to continue with his painting and the results actually improved his style! The Documentary does a brilliant job of explaining his unfoldment as an artist.

There were a couple of things I personally wanted to check for in his chart. The first thing was that he's remarkably indecisive and liked to impose rules on himself within his painting in order to deal with that Indecision. He's got a Libra North Node which squares his Cancer Sun. This is a positive quality for him to develop in this lifetime where for most people it would be a hindrance. The Second thing I was curious about was his Saturn, of course. The whole issue about imposing rules, embracing limits, working within a structure, finding Joy in that process. That's not widely accepted among modern artists who want to just start working without a goal in mind. Close has Saturn (limits) conjunct Jupiter (possibilities) in Taurus at one end of the boundary of a Bundle Chart. Instead of a trine as is usual for a Bundle, he has a Quintile to the other end by Neptune in Libra. Quintiles (5th Harmonic aspects) are strong indicators for creative, artistic talent, as well as obsessiveness. Libra and Taurus which are ruled by Venus and naturally rule the Arts and Artistic talent. Close's entire chart is contained within this Quintile which shows a person with a strong focus. What greater chart for a photo (Neptune) realist (Saturn) painter(in signs ruled by Venus)?

Chuck Close
b. July 5, 1940 Monroe, Washington

Sun 14 Cancer; Moon probably in Cancer; NN 16 Libra

Sun in Cancer painters (like Rembrandt and Hopper) often tend to show a very moody streak through intense use of lighting. (Well, Calder was also a Cancer, so this doesn't always apply) Close doesn't do that. Instead he shows very simply a head in a kind of "in your face" type format. Confrontational as he describes it. That's all there is; just a frontal view copied directly off of a photography and painted in a pixilated format through the use of the grid. It seems as far from imagination as one could get. How could this guy be a Double Cancer, both Sun and Moon ruled by the Moon? Well, often the imagination is in the eye of the viewer and Close sets this up for you. When you stand far away, you see the Face. You actually do know a lot about the person you are looking at, their character and their feelings, it's just not expressed through the marks. When you walk up close you see only the marks. And the older (and sicker) Close gets the more fascinating these marks become. For a while he was using his thumbprints. He now fills each square grid up with circles within circles of colors, he says 5-7 colors at a time. They combine, just like your TV or computer screen to create the portrait only from far away. I think this handling of Spacial format is probably a Cancerian quality as the 4th House rules environment and place.

Close's huge tragic life events seem to both coincide roughly with his Jupiter Returns. Jupiter in Taurus conjunct Saturn in Taurus? That sounds like the perfect aspect for a banker or investment advisor. What a difference the aspect to Neptune makes! (I should have checked for marriage dates and birth of children.)

The first set of events happened, shortly before his 12th Birthday when his father died unexpectantly. The Wikipedia article says that in addition to this event that year was full of trouble. His Mother got Breast Cancer, they lost their home due to Medical Bills, his Grandmother developed Parkinson's and he himself spent the year in bed with nephritis, a kidney infection. This all happened just as Jupiter was returning to its natal spot, conjunct Saturn (Father, loss). This conjunction is squaring a natal conjunction Close has of Mars-Pluto-Mercury in Leo. Close describes how he actually observed (Mercury) his Father hit his head (Mars) and felt powerless (Pluto) because he was too weak to pick him up. Transiting Pluto was conjunct t. South Node at some point during that year which would have been squaring Close's natal Uranus, which is in Taurus like his Jupiter and Saturn. Close's Father sounds like an almost Gepetto-type man who built him all kinds of toys for his son, a guy who could build anything. I get the sense that Close learned how to fix his illness, to tie his hand into a brace that would hold the brush for him, by lessons learned from his Father. Unfortunately, once Jupiter, passes over it's natal position at this time, it begins to square his natal planets one after another in rapid succession. That could explain the extreme nature of his experiences. It would have squared his Venus (kidneys, worries about finances) and then his Moon and Chiron in Cancer (mother, grandmother, illnesses, loss of home).

Close suffered his paralysis after a blood clot formed in his spine suddenly on Dec. 7, 1988. At this point, Jupiter was again in Taurus, past the Return, and conjunct Uranus (sudden event, circulatory system in the body). His progressed Sun was on the very last seconds of Leo and passing into Virgo along with progressed Mars so Health issues became a concern. Chiron was passing through Cancer opposing transiting Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. These were all approaching conjunction-opposition to his Sun-Moon-Chiron but weren't yet close enough to be within orb. Once again, Pluto and the Nodes were aspecting each other but this time in a Grand Trine with his natal Sun, perhaps a sign that he would be protected in some way or have the inner strength to glide himself through yet another intense struggle.

Close's Venus is extremely prominent in his natal chart which is fitting for an artist, especially a painter. It is on the last degree of Gemini at an Aries Point (artistic talent to be brought before the public). It's also Retrograde, an Air singleton and it rules his North Node. It's almost as if he was being called upon to impose more limitations on himself in order to develop further his artistic vision. He also has Chiron in Cancer so Venus was set to soon pass over both the Moon and "the Wounded Teacher" aspect. An event that slowly heals over time. Through his determination, he is teaching the rest of the world how to deal with their obstacles. His wife explains that his painting was considered as important a part of his rehabilitation as anything else.

Someday I hope to have his birth time in order to look at the Ascendant and Moon, but as it is his chart tells so much. HaHa, maybe best to read this one while working within strict limitations!