Vespula Vidua
Vespula Vidua
Signed Print
Damien Hirst
Screenprint, 2011
Signed Print Edition of 100
H 91cm x W 112cm
Critical Review
Vespula Vidua is a screen print from 2011 by Damien Hirst. The print shows a formulaic grid of perfect circles, called ‘spots,’ organised into four rows of five. As a variation on Hirst’s very famous Spots paintings, Vespula Vidua differs from many of the other works in its muted colour palette. The spots are depicted in pastel tones as opposed to bright, saturated colours.
The Spots paintings have become iconic to Hirst’s name. There are over 1000 of the paintings in existence, dating from 1988 to 2011, where Hirst has produced an average of 60 Spots paintings a year. There are many more editioned prints like this one that depict the rows of coloured spots. The grid formula for these paintings is the basis for an endless series where Hirst can infinitely explore harmonious and contrasting colour combinations.
Fascinated by intuitive colour choice from his days at Goldsmiths, Hirst claims that the Spots paintings have removed any problems he previously had with colour, allowing him to present a perfect arrangement of colour that is never repeated. Hirst in 2000 remarked on the impact of an installation of multiple spot paintings, “it’s an assault on your senses. They grab hold of you and give you a good shaking. As adults, we’re not used to it. It’s an amazing fact that all objects leap beyond their own dimension.”
