Name: The Souls III (hazy gold, silver gloss, frost blue)
Brand: Damien Hirst
Rating: 4.9 (225 reviews)

Meaning & Analysis

The Souls III (hazy gold, silver gloss, frost blue) is a foil block print from Damien Hirst’s The Souls series from 2010. The print shows a large butterfly with its wings outspread, set against a white backdrop. Depicted in gold, silver and blue, the image of the butterfly is rendered with beautiful patterns on its wings, creating a highly aesthetic print.

Hirst is fascinated by religion and his work, like The Souls series, addresses the timeless endless renewing of faith in the face of mortality. The butterfly is used by the artist as a traditional symbol of the soul, and of the soul’s presence on Earth before transmigration to an afterlife. Thus, in the gallery space, The Souls create an all-encompassing effect that surrounds the viewer.

Speaking of the display of The Souls in the gallery space, Hirst has explained: “This comes from an idea to fill the gallery with butterflies, an idea that I’ve had before. When I think of ‘The Souls’ I think of Judgement Day and ‘Jacob’s ladder’. Many souls work better than one, so to hang them…and to use all the available space is great way of doing it theologically.”