One of the more famous and beloved of Greek Myths is that of Orpheus and his love Eurydice. Often depicted by painters of Corot's persuasion, you see here his version illustrating the melancholy tale which looks suitably dark and ethereal. Naturally, astrologers would key in on the word 'Underworld' thanks to its ruler, Pluto, and although Pluto's discovery didn't occur until 1930, out of curiosity my green eyes had a peek at the planetary positions on Jean-Baptists Camille Corot's day of birth at 1:30 am LMT on July 16, 1796, Paris, France, Rodden Rating: AA; Data collected by Gauquelin!
We should note that Corot's natal asteroids Orpheus and Eurydice (Eurydike) link to two of his natal planets: Orpheus conjunct (depressive) Saturn in Gemini and Eurydice conjunct Mars Rx in Sagittarius.
Now if you wish, read a brief bio and check out Corot's natal chart at astro.com where you'll find that he was born into a prosperous family, received an inheritance in 1822 (which made his switch from being a businessman to a painter possible), and that he suffered from gout, a painful chronic condition usually brought on by an overindulgent lifestyle. For more details, here's his Wiki page.
My meager speculation about his natal horoscope is that if born 20 minutes later at 1:50 am LMT, Saturn @22Gem06 would be conjunct his Gemini Ascendant but in the 12th house (concentrated work in solitude) and Mars Rx @17Sag23 would dip into his 6th house of Health and Daily Rounds which could relate to his gout and daily work. After all, exact birth times on the hour or half hour are often rounded off and therefore not quite accurate, are they? Yet his data was collected by researcher-statistician Michel Gauquelin so who am I to quibble?!
So we find Corot's natal Pluto @28AQ41 Rx in the 10th house of Public Status and Career along with Jupiter Rx in creative Pisces (12:41). Both planets have 'father' implications so his prosperous papa is seen here with both denoting wealth. Interesting that early on Corot painted against his father's wishes and only turned to Art as a profession after his father's demise, a typical occurrence since Art is so often seen as an unstable endeavor by parental units. Yet Corot's Saturn-Pluto trine (more Daddy notes!) is the aspect of "The Magnate" (A. Oken) and suggests economic success in business and an ability to refine authoritarianism.
Corot's Chart-Ruler Mercury Conjunct North Node: New Concepts Accepted by the Public
Now chart-ruler Mercury (Rx @10Can54 and partile conjunct North Node in 2nd house of Money and Values) applies only once--a trine to artful Neptune in Scorpio (6th house) giving him much creative inspiration which can inspire the talents of others. This trine is often seen in the natal charts of writers, novelists, artists, and musicians--and the Neptune-NN trine is helpful for art contacts with the public. Another creative aspect is a Fire trine between his Sag Mars and Venus @21Leo58 (but note that Mars is out-of-bounds so he's off on his own a lot and maybe not as cooperative with others as he could be). Yet as you know, the Sun-ruled sign of Leo is creative and dramatic, plus, Corot's Venus is Stationed and turned Rx 19 hours 37 minutes ago @21Leo57. Another Stationing planet? Neptune which turned Direct in 21 hours 48 minutes after Corot's birth so both Venus and Neptune, though not in major aspect with one another, are strong due to their Stationing conditions.
Even so, another creative aspect exists between his 7th and 11th house ruler Jupiter and Stationing Neptune indicates that Corot may have considered Art as his mission, or calling in life. And if we are the servants of our 10th house planets, Corot well-served his creative Piscean Jupiter by painting masterpieces while expressing the power of a 10th house Pluto in Aquarius, a sign placement denoting popularity and 'advancement in life with the help of others' (Ebertin).
Sun Cancer-Moon Sagittarius ('Moon-Jupiter')
Yet there are a few turbulent placements in his chart. Corot's natal Moon in Sagittarius (6th house of Health) and Sun @24Can06 (3rd house conjunct its cusp so affecting 2nd house depending on the House System used) suggests difficulties between his parents (sesqui-square 136 degrees) and may have caused relational troubles in adulthood between his conscious (Sun) and unconscious (Moon) minds. Was one or both parents overindulgent? That would be my first guess via the 'Moon-Jupiter' influence (plus, his Moon-Jupiter square suggests this along with a streak of laziness).
A quick look at his Water-Fire personality blend hints at a strong sense of family, concern for social issues, and an ability to understand 'the big picture' though perhaps with negligent attention given to details. He probably used sarcasm to hide his vulnerabilities and tended to justify his personal prejudices, yet a poetic imagination is also present with this blend but with much emotional volatility which is supported by Corot's Moon-Mars conjunction (7-degree orb), and Moon square his Jupiter-Uranus opposition. Plus, a Moon-Mercury inconjunct adds emotional overreactions and upsets since his lunar feelings and mercurial thinking processes and speech may have been at odds (as taught in childhood!)
But the most prominent factor concerning Corot's Sun is that it is unaspected. If you wish to read about such a detached Sun you'll find info in a previous post concerning a certain lady. Scroll to the last paragraph for a few unaspected Sun details.
Then on the generational level, Camille Corot was born during a creative Uranus-Neptune sextile period (as was Mary Shelley, 1797) identifying him a 'revolutionary thinker' suspicious of entrenched beliefs and institutions and insistent that commitments be made voluntarily. That last tallies well with the themes of Corot's Prenatal Solar Eclipse which perfected on July 4, 1796 @13Can31 in the 15 North Saros Series with cosmic vibes of 'good news' and 'joy through commitment' (Brady). In our day, 15 North last manifested on November 13, 2012 @22Scorpio and will come again in 2030 @3Sagittarius.
All in all, I'd say that the natal horoscope of Camille Corot is quite fascinating and worth your consideration if you wish for more chart factors are certain to be of interest!
There are several books on Corot and/or his paintings; one is Corot and the Art of Landscape available on Amazon via third-party sellers.
For more personality blend info see Sun Sign-Moon Sign by Charles and Suzi Harvey.
No comments:
Post a Comment