Does the progress of civilization depend on erasing history? The wokerati are at it again hinting that cancelling Pablo Picasso might be on their wish-list because he was a misogynist and cultural appropriator (of African tribal masks).
He married twice, had four children by three women and several mistresses. One mistress and his second wife committed suicide and his first wife plus another mistress had nervous breakdowns. He once said “For me there are only two kinds of women: goddesses and doormats.” His son developed fatal alcoholism and his grandson committed suicide.
A decent human being? Certainly not. But he is recognized as the 20th Century’s most influential artist who shifted the course of painting.
He was born 25 October 1881 11.15pm Malaga, Spain and had a 4th house Scorpio Sun opposition a rigid but well-organized Saturn in Taurus in his 10th. He had a Taurus stellium in his 10th of Saturn conjunct a creative creative Neptune and an indulgent pushily confident Jupiter Pluto conjunction opposition Mercury in Scorpio. Stubborn to the nth degree, he did not think rules applied to him, but was designed for great success.
His Moon aspects were troublesome with his Sagittarius Moon in his performing 5th house on the focal point of a Yod to a hard-edged Mars sextile Saturn – emotionally disorganized, overly-defensive, not adaptable, self-defeating because of lack of trust. A Yod Moon often seeks public approval since a large audience of admirers is easier to handle than one-to-one intimacy. His Moon was conjunct a Sagittarius North Node which would connect him to the public/zeitgeist. His Moon was also square Uranus making his emotional responses erratic and giving him a fear of commitment as does his Sagittarius North Node.
His Venus was also stressed, being in a square to Mars which can go alongside an insensitivity to the needs of partners; and was on one leg of a challenging Yod sextile Moon inconjunct Saturn.
His global super-star 22nd harmonic was notable as was his leaving-a-legacy-for-history 17H and his creative 5H.
However monstrous he was, there is no doubting his talent or the mark he left on culture.
It may be beyond the comprehension of the sanctimonious firebrands but precisely those psychological quirks which made him toxic in relationships were precisely those which drove his creative inspiration. Artists tend to be damaged human beings who plunder the turmoil of their unconscious to produce their art. Picasso’s no doubt excruciatingly irritating narcissistic over-confidence allowed him to step outside the conventional bounds of art as it had been, and plough his own furrow to become a trailblazer. Who he was and his creativity are irrevocably interlinked and yet paradoxically his art stands separate from the flawed man who wielded the brush.
On a personal note I was never a great fan of Picasso, but I am getting thoroughly sick of the mindless screeching that goes on as revisionism becomes the coming thing. It reminds me of a thought from psycho-analysis about the fascist state of mind (delusional narcissism) which purges out the past and, having emptied itself, looks forward to a future entirely of its own creation. A future without history is a scary thought.
Picasso’s chart does have his the Solar Arc North Node exactly opposition his Sun this year as his reputation comes under attack.