Art is everywhere – in commercial ads, on billboards, on the walls as you walk to work – you’d be hard-pressed not to notice it on any given day.
While we are all drawn to different styles, mediums, and eras of artwork, have you ever wondered if your choices have any tie to your zodiac sign?
We see a lot of articles on what’s related to your sign – gemstones for healing, pet peeves, Tarot cards – so we thought today, we’d look at what piece of art would best line up with each individual sign of the zodiac.
These aren’t necessarily obvious choices on visual speculation, but we see some interesting ties between your sun sign and the corresponding artwork or the artists themselves.
Aries – Graffiti/ Colla
If you Want to Achieve Greatness Stop Asking for Permission, Eddie Colla, year unknown
We can see Aries in the street art known as graffiti – defiant by nature, bucking the traditional, formal way art was made and revered. Graffiti is rebellious, sometimes spontaneous and often controversial, just like the sign of the ram.
Aries doesn’t stop to think about what they do, they dance furiously into the challenges, new experiences and relationships of their lives with the whole heart and determination that is their hallmark. If Aries needs to make a point, they’ll be open about it, with no concern for how it’s received.
In Colla’s work above, we see a clear message calling us to take action, to be bold and to buck the system.
Taurus – Architecture/Lloyd Wright
Fallingwater House, Frank Lloyd Wright, 1935
Architecture as art in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater house. Built for the Kaufmann family as a refuge from the noisy city between 1936-1939, Wright wanted them to not just live where they could see waterfalls, but to live on them, perpetually aware of the zen sound of water wherever they were in their home.
The ultimate Taurus home would be as beautiful outside as in and Fallingwater mirrors many of the qualities of the bull. The design that is both earthy and of nature, the attention to the sensual properties such as the sounds of water, the smell of nature, the feel of both hard stone and soft greenery.
Taurus loves to stand out as someone with exceptional taste and an eye for beauty, luxury and quality. Fallingwater is to this day, an awe-inspiring, enduring work of art millions have traveled to experience.
Gemini – Cubism/Picasso
Girl Before a Mirror, Pablo Picasso, 1932
The sign of the twins is steeped in duality, torn between the discovery of intellectual pursuit and the extroverted communication of ideas on the one side, and the more introspective, thoughtful process they need to sort through their immense knowledge to find their own truth on the other.
Picasso’s Cubist paintings deal very much in multiple perspectives, using geometric shapes to see one image from different vantage points at the same time. In his painting, “Girl Before a Mirror,” the light and shadow sides of the subject face each other, which very much represents the way Gemini operates.
Introverted and extroverted, talkative and thoughtful, emotional and intellectual, the key for the twins will be to embrace both sides as one, rather than have to choose a side.
Cancer – Home Design as Art
From homemydesign.com
Nurturing Cancer is known for keeping a beautiful and welcoming home, desiring to create both a safe place of refuge for themselves, as well as to encourage those they love most to stay a spell and appreciate the efforts to make them comfortable.
Home design can absolutely be considered an art form, balancing color, beauty and texture to create the ultimate atmosphere for the mood you hope to capture. In the image above, we see a carefully curated backyard, warmly inviting us to ease our weary heads and engage in a long chat with some good friends.
This portrays the ultimate image of romantic, thoughtful and sensitive Cancer, who would surely be preparing dinner and pouring glasses of wine beyond the back door.
Leo – Klimt
Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, Gustav Klimt, 1907
All our attention is on the lovely and regal subject of this golden painting. Austrian artist Gustav Klimt is known for his highly decorative works, many showcasing beautiful women surrounded by or encased in gold. Klimt’s work is a natural choice to represent the fierce sign of the lion, who adores being the center of attention, and having the best in everything.
Klimt is known for his ‘Golden Phase,’ a time where he used ornamental gold leaf in mosaic patterns to bring across his style, and the colors of the painting speak also to the powerful golden yellow of the Sun, which rules over the sign of Leo.
Virgo – Escher
Convex and Concave, MC Escher, 1955
MC Escher worked in structure and tessellations, a kind of art as math – a series of identical, interlocking shapes, closely repeated with no gaps. Some of his works look like a giant puzzle, and if you measure each shape, they are exactly the same.
This would be the kind of painstaking work that is embraced by the keen, analytical and curious mind within Virgo. Virgos are constantly seeking knowledge, but don’t immediately trust in anything new until they can figure out the purpose.
Much like Escher’s, “Convex and Concave,” the sign of the virgin must look at things from all sides, see the real story and align it to their routine, looking at every detail.
Libra – Fashion as Art
Photo from Marie Antionette, 2006 directed by Sofia Coppola
Romantic Libra, ruled by Venus, the planet of beauty, adornment, love and art. Libras are the charmers of the zodiac, flirtatious and attentive to anything they perceive as beautiful and luxurious. Here we look to fashion as art, and to the adornments of Marie Antoinette in particular.
Known for her extravagant ensembles, made of the most luxurious fabrics, Marie Antionette knew how to present herself for maximum attention and presentation, just as Libra does.
In this photo from the movie about her life, we see the Libra elegance, the attention to beauty, form and balance in her dress and the lovely décor, as well the harmonious way the colors play with each other.
Scorpio – Beardsley
The Peacock Skirt – Aubrey Beardsley, 1893
Aubrey Beardsley was one of the most controversial artists of the Art Nouveau era, largely due to his dark and intense, black and white, sometimes erotic style. His work is perfectly in line with that of elusive, mysterious and misunderstood Scorpio.
In the drawing, “The Peacock Skirt,” we see a sinister, elegantly dressed woman capturing a somewhat unsure subject in her powerful gaze. Such is the effect the sign of the scorpion has on their targets, looking deeply into their souls to seek truth, depth of character and connection on an integral level.
Sagittarius – Glass Art/Chihuly
Glasswork by Dale Chihuly, Chihuly Garden and Glass, Seattle
For Sagittarius, we look to Dale Chihuly’s devastating works of glass, specifically this work at the Chihuly Gardens and Glass Gallery in Seattle, Washington. Sagittarius has a deep seated need for adventure, for discovery, wonder and knowledge. Beyond all of those needs, their firmest belief is in freedom, and they will do much to ensure they have it.
In the image above, we see what looks like a starburst of light, seemingly escaping the walls behind to be in the open air, perhaps rising beyond us to be closer to the sun. The optimistic colors deny the darkness surrounding them, much as cheerful Sagittarius won’t dwell on the ugliness of life, choosing to see the positive, sunny side as much as possible.
Capricorn – Sculpture
Farnese Atlas, artist unknown, 2nd century A.D.
Disciplined, collected Capricorn is goal-oriented and steady in their approach to life. They can be said to hold the weight of the world on their shoulders, largely because they are willing to make sacrifice to see something through to the end, but also due to the fact that others will rely on their grounded nature and look up to them as leaders.
Simply put, Caps will get it done, no matter how hard the task. In this famous reproduction, we see Atlas, sentenced by Zeus to hold up the sky, and the sphere he holds features the celestial sky and the zodiac band. You can see the toil made on his body, but his face remains calm and almost serene.
Much like our goat friends, they’ll do their best not to show what they are truly feeling beneath their sometimes stony surface.
Aquarius – Haring
Tree of Life, Keith Haring, 1985
Rebellious Aquarius is forever searching for human connection, standing up for the little guy and taking on causes to improve the world. Keith Haring, a famous pop artist in the 1980s, grew up rebellious and experimental, and thought that, “Art could reach all kinds of people,” rather than just the elite for whom it had traditionally been made for.
Inspired by graffiti and growing up with cartoons, his work is vibrant, thought provoking and seems to be in motion on the page. In the painting above, it looks as though there is a celebration going on, with the entire team in exaltation of what they have accomplished together.
It captures the active imagination that Aquarius is known for, as well as their out-of-the-box, unique strangeness.
Pisces – Waterhouse
The Charmer, John William Waterhouse, 1911
Sensitive Pisces, you draw people to you with your compassion, artistic nature and clear ability to understand the emotions of those around you. You are a romantic figure and are known to escape to a fantasy world of your own making when you feel overwhelmed by the ugliness of the world.
In Waterhouse’s, “The Charmer,” we see a beautiful maiden playing a harp, attracting the curious fish in the water at her feet (Unseen in current photo). This is an obvious connection, but made less because of the fishy friends and more because of the almost detached way she is looking at them.
This is Pisces in conflict, and the image captures the shadow, the retreat to music and beauty and the urge to escape more than the usual willingness to help.
Do You Identify with Your Zodiac Sign’s Medium?
We are all drawn to different kinds of art forms to be inspired, to dream, and to remember the power of beauty, creativity and ideas can hold in our lives. While there are many, many mediums for us to choose from, the important thing is to find something only you identify with. What kinds of art draw your attention?
While we see parallels between each of these works of art and the individual signs of the zodiac, this is really just a starting point for you!
Art can also be therapeutic, whether just looking at a painting or trying your own hand at creating something. We hope this article has opened your mind to all the possibilities of how art can fit into your own world and imagination.
Do you identify with any of the pieces we’ve chosen? What would you have included?
Related article: Astrology and Creativity Part I: Planets in “Creative” Houses
