Memento 2
Memento 2
Signed Print
Damien Hirst
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120 x 108cm, Edition of 30, Intaglio
Meaning & Analysis
Memento 2 is an intaglio print from Damien Hirst’s Memento series from 2008. The print shows an image of a butterfly with its wings outspread, set against a black backdrop. The butterfly is coloured with glowing shades of green and has a luminous quality that stands out against the dark background.
Depicted in beautifully rich detail, the butterfly in the centre of the composition is striking in its colouring and its mimetic quality. Hirst’s concern with depicting his chosen subject matter in photographic detail stems from his work on ‘fact’ painting beginning in 2000. The artist’s aim with such works was to attempt to reproduce photographs in the traditional medium of oil on canvas. The realistic image of the butterfly plays with Hirst’s concern around facts and truth that photographs are assumed to depict.
The butterfly motif is a prominent figure that Hirst has used throughout his career to bring together themes around morality, life, love, faith and aesthetics. Speaking of his obsession with butterflies Hirst has explained, “I think rather than be personal you have to find universal triggers: everyone’s frightened of glass, everyone’s frightened of sharks, everyone loves butterflies.”