H6-2 Grace
H6-2 Grace
Signed Print
Damien Hirst
Giclée print, 2015
Signed Print Edition of 55
H 100cm x W 100cm
Critical Review
H6-2 Grace is a giclée print from Damien Hirst’s The Aspects series from 2015. The print shows an array of butterfly wings arranged in an intricate kaleidoscopic pattern. Depicted in varying shades of blue, this print is perfectly symmetrical, formed by the vertical and horizontal lines cutting through the centre of image. The print exudes a kinetic energy that is exciting and mesmerising to look at.
The Aspects series is reminiscent of Hirst’s first kaleidoscopic painting It’s a Wonderful World, created in 2001. This earlier work was inspired by a Victorian tea tray found by Hirst and much like The Aspects series was made by placing thousands of different coloured butterfly wings in complex geometric patterns. In both It’s a Wonderful World and H6-2 Grace, the butterfly wings are rendered unrecognisable when viewed at a distance and as part of a larger intricate pattern.
Hirst’s prints in The Aspects series are reminiscent of stained glass windows in Gothic architecture and the circular patterns of mandalas. The motif of the butterfly has been used by the Greeks to depict Psyche, the soul, and in Christian imagery represents resurrection. Indeed, the titles of the prints in this series, such as H6-2 Grace, include common virtues found in a range of religions, reflecting Hirst’s fascination with spirituality and the human psyche.
