H4-6 Kew
H4-6 Kew
Signed Print
Damien Hirst
Giclée print, 2008
Signed Print Edition of 75
Critical Review
H4-6 Kew is a signed giclée print produced by contemporary British artist Damien Hirst in 2008. In this print, which comes in an edition size of 75, Hirst creates a colourful composition made out of thick and dense brushstrokes and dabs of heavy impasto. The layers of paint draw attention to the various stages that went into producing the piece, hinting at the time and labour that went into the production of the artwork.
The print is part of Hirst’s Veils collection which was inspired by the concept of a veil. The artist explains how he was intrigued by the way in which a veil can both reveal and obscure the truth and the layers of paint in the compositions can be seen as a series of veils that the viewer must look through to see what is hidden behind the surface of the composition.
The style of painting in H4-6 Kew is clearly influenced by Impressionism and Abstract Expressionism. The abstract painting also resonates with the Pointillist movement which was born out of Georges Seurat and Paul Signanc’s experimentations with making paintings out of small yet distinct dots. Hirst often incorporates spots into his artworks, most notably in his Spot Paintings. The use of spots in the Veils collection, however, is much less regimented than the way the shapes are used in the Spot paintings which are characterised by precision and uniformity.
