Name: To Lure (yellow)
Brand: Damien Hirst
Rating: 4.9 (183 reviews)

Meaning & Analysis

To Lure (yellow) is a signed etching in colours, on wove paper, with full margins made by renowned contemporary artist, Damien Hirst. Created in 2008, the print shows a beautiful yellow butterfly in the centre of the composition. The butterfly’s wings are outstretched, meaning the insect dominates the print, and demands the viewer look at the details of its body. Set against a black backdrop, the bright yellow butterfly stands out dramatically, bringing a sense of vibrancy to the print.

Hirst often incorporates butterflies into his artworks, and the insect has become closely associated with the artist’s name and visual language. Other examples of works by Hirst that use butterflies are the H7 series, the Psalms series and the Souls series. The Kaleidoscope series is probably the artist's most well-known example of using butterflies to make art. In this impressive body of works, Hirst creates spectacular prints that are composed of patterns of concentric circles made up of butterfly wings.

Hirst has been interested in butterflies for a long time and began using them in his work as early as 1989. The artist calls the insect a “universal trigger,” elaborating that “everyone’s frightened of glass, everyone’s frightened of sharks, everyone loves butterflies.”