At first glance the large painting is very beautiful. The seductive pink is complemented by the many colours of the butterflies, making for a highly decorative result. Closer scrutiny of the painting, however, reveals the butterflies not to be painted: Hirst has used the wet paint as flypaper to the live butterflies. The gargantuan heart has been turned into an aesthetic but banal and devious death trap. Untitled is a modern interpretation of the classic vanitas motif with an extra dimension added. The painting does not merely represent the perishable life; death is palpably present in the work.
Damien Hirst. Untitled (Birthday Card). 2001 - [Butterflies and household gloss on canvas - 213,4 cm diameter]
Susana
12.5.06
