The artist David Hockney has just celebrated his 80th birthday with a major exhibition at Tate Britain. His work has always met with ambivalence from critics, given his tendency to use garish colours and almost graphic-art techniques, especially in recent years.
He says: “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 was the first to use television to popularise art and has 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 is a Sun Mercury in Cancer with Pluto also in Cancer, with all three planets trine a determined Mars in Scorpio; a rebellious Mars opposition Uranus; and Pluto in a confident 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.