Be Trusting
Be Trusting
Signed Print
Damien Hirst
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62 x 82cm, Edition of 55, Etching
Meaning & Analysis
The second polymer-gravure etching in Damien Hirst’s Lessons In Love series is Be Trusting, created in 2018. This etching shows five randomly placed butterflies depicted in a highly realistic manner, set against a lime green backdrop of solid colour. Hirst’s use of the naturalistic butterfly motif alongside an intuitive choice of colour is representative of his desire to dissolve the boundaries between art, science and popular culture.
Much of Hirst’s work seeks to explore the uncertainties at the core of human experience: love, life, death, loyalty and betrayal through unconventional media. Lessons In Love points to this exploration in its title, each of the prints describing an action of affection or care such as Be Considerate and Be Thoughtful.
Be Trusting is important in its use of the butterfly motif that has been prominent throughout Hirst’s career. The series is reminiscent of Hirst’s 1991 In And Out Of Love (Butterfly Paintings And Ashtrays) installation that fixed the bodies of dead butterflies into monochrome gloss paint. The artist’s preoccupation with butterflies is rooted in the way that even when the insects are dead, they appear to be alive. Well known for his obsession with mortality, Hirst claims that his use of the butterfly motif is a symbol for the celebration of life rather than death.