Natura Morta

Giorgio Morandi

Morandi was unassuming, in life and in art. Born in Bologna, he lived on the same street, in a modest apartment with his three sisters, from the age of 19 until his death at 73, and rarely left the city. As a young man he experimented with the vogues of the day, but quickly settled into his signature style. Quiet, contemplative, subtle, his still life compositions are experiments in hue and form, as much precursors to the minimalist movement as they are informed by the Italian Old Masters he studied in art school. “I’m a painter”, he said, “of the kind of... composition that communicates a sense of tranquility and privacy, moods which I have always valued above all’.

Thursday 20th August

The Moon, having passed through Libra, now rises in the constellation of Scorpio, bringing a watery influence and a quality attuned to transformation. It has now waxed to the half Moon in its synodic cycle, and with this we can sense an expanding or outward movement. Yet, in another of the Moon’s rhythms, we see it descending, setting increasingly lower each night as its position shifts against the fixed stars. So, in one sense, we experience expansion, while at the same time there is an inclination downwards. In biodynamics, this descending movement is associated with the development of roots and is considered an important time for transplanting.