David Hockney, the painter, the best liked and most successful despite critics’ misgivings, has died. His 13-room 2017 retrospective at Tate Britain attracted half a million visitors, with more at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York the following year. His 1972 Portrait of an Artist (Pool With Two Figures) sold at auction in New York for $90.3m, the most expensive painting ever sold by a living artist.
His tendency to use garish colours and almost graphic-art techniques upset the traditionalists. But he once said: “People want meaning in life. That’s a desperate need, and images can help. Unfortunately there is within modern art a contempt for people . . . I do want to make a picture that has meaning for a lot of people. I think the idea of making pictures for 25 people in the art world is crazy and ridiculous.”
He always worked as it suited him, no matter what the reception. One review described his work as ‘touching, tender, ribald, raunchy, innovative, annoying.’ Another said ‘Whether or not Hockney is a great artist, he is a great cultural figure.’
Born 9 July 1937, Bradford, England, he was a Sun Mercury in Cancer with Pluto also in Cancer, all three trine a determined Mars in Scorpio; with a rebellious Mars opposition Uranus; and Pluto in a confident/successful opposition to Jupiter in Capricorn. His Sun trine Mars, sextiles onto Neptune which is turn is in a creative trine to Uranus. And he has a self-reliant Saturn in Aries.
Cancer Suns usually have a nose for what the public want and can home into the zeitgeist.
Not surprisingly he as several quintiles and septiles in his chart. His 5th harmonic has a light, bright, passionately enthusiastic Air Grand Trine of Venus Mars linked to the North Node; and an ambitious, influential Pluto Neptune Sun tie up. His 7th Harmonic also veers to the superficial and frivolous with Jupiter and Venus linked together with the North Node. His making-a-mark-on-history 17H is also well aspected with an Air Grand Trine of Saturn Pluto to Venus Mars.
His Saturn in Aries was conjunct Antares suggesting he took his responsibilities seriously and worked non-stop which gave him an outlet for his combative streak. He smoked against advice till the end.
The post David Hockney – he did it his way first appeared on Astroinform with Marjorie Orr – Star4cast.
