Art Writing Assignment 1

最近在讀一個藝術課程, 其中一份功課是要寫藝評...so this was my attempt.  點解寫英文? 因為易呃字數d囉! 嘻嘻!

如有錯漏, 請多多指教.

[Disclaimer: This was an assignment I submitted for an art course, I am by no means a professional art critic.]

Damien Hirst’s Capaneus

An internationally renowned and British richest living artist who is known for his use of unconventional materials to create controversial art, Damien Hirst has created Capaneus, which is currently on exhibit at White Cube Hong Kong along with his other works in the series.

Born in Bristol and studied Fine Art at Goldsmiths, University of London, Hirst is the most prominent member of the Young British Artists (“YBAs”), a group sponsored by collector Charles Saatchi.  With “death” being a central theme in all of Hirst's works, Hirst made his name through a series of artworks where dead animals (for example, a tiger shark and a cow) are preserved and displayed.

In the current series, Hirst began this "entomological specimens and hammerite paint on canvas" in 2009 and as with most of his other previous works, the piece is completed by studio assistants under his supervision. The dimension of the artwork (152.4 x 121.9cm) allows hundreds of insect specimens, such as beetles and butterflies, to be arranged in a symmetrical geometric pattern placed onto hammerite gloss paint. At first glance, the audience sees an enormous, intricate yet harmonious pattern that resembles a fanciful kaleidoscopic image. On a closer look, however, audience would notice that the seemingly beautiful image is made up of countless number of dead and sometimes horrendous insects (for example the hairy spiders).

The majority of the insect specimens in the artwork are in a blue/ green tone, complementing the dark blue gloss paint used in the background. Together these darker cold colors convey a sense of lifelessness, which is coherent with the “death” theme.  On a closer look, it could be noticed that there is occasional use of insect specimens of contrasting colors, such as the red beetles, the earthy-colored butterflies and other orangey/ yellowish insects, which reminds audience that these specimens were once lively creatures.

Another apparent feature of this artpiece was the intricate pattern of the artwork. The arrangements of the insect specimens, whether in terms of size, shapes, colors, or body patterns, are astonishingly accurately symmetrical, both horizontally and vertically, resembling an image similar to that from a kaleidoscope. There is little space between the specimens, creating a visually striking and dramatic effect to highlight the symmetry of the image and the intensity of the presence of insect specimens in the artwork.

The title of the artwork, "Capaneus", is a Greek mythological figure whose death was described in Dante Alighieri's (a 14th-century poem in which depicts the author’s tortuous vision of the afterlife). Hirst has again smartly titled his art piece a name that would give more meaning than the image would portray on its own by making the audience associate the title and the image. 

Butterfly, as a constantly recurring and iconic subject in Hirst’s works, is used here with thousands of other highly colorful insects.  According to Hirst, he was drawn to them because they “embody the fragility of life, retaining an iridescent beauty even when dead”.  In his earlier “Kaleidoscope Paintings” series, thousands of butterfly wings are arranged on canvases shaped like gothic stained-glass windows, reflecting the idealised beauty they encapsulate.

  

In Capaneus, Hirst has once again successfully created an eye-catching, dazzling artwork that is unconventional and controversial yet at the same time consistent and coherent with the central theme that surrounds all his works.  In the artwork, the audience can see “death” and beauty, the coexistence of which represents an irony that something has to be killed in order to be looked at.