The Dead (chilli red, lime green)
The Dead (chilli red, lime green)
Signed Print
Damien Hirst
Foil Block, 2009
Signed Print Edition of 15
H 42cm x W 30cm
Critical Review
The Dead (chilli red, lime green) is a signed foil block print in colours on Arches paper produced by renowned contemporary artist, Damien Hirst. In this print, Hirst depicts a large skull in a bold chilli red with splashes of lime green. The skull floats menacingly in the centre of the composition, contrasting with the plain white backdrop.
The print, made in 2009, is one of thirty-one prints that compose The Dead series. Each print in the series depicts a skull, however Hirst uses a unique combination of two colours for every print. Sometimes the colours complement one another, however, in The Dead (chilli red, lime green), Hirst opts for two colours that contrast dramatically. The central theme of the series, represented through the use of the skull motif, is death. Hirst frequently explores this theme in his artworks, and from the start of his artistic career was interested in the relationship between art and its ability to explore questions of life and death.
As well as using skulls in his art to explore the theme of death, Hirst has also made artworks out of dead insects arranged in beautiful patterns, dead animals preserved in formaldehyde, and pharmaceutical products like tablet boxes and medicine cabinets.
