Andromeda – H4-2

Mixing the unnatural hues of Bonnard with Rothko’s meditative aesthetic, Damien Hirst produced ‘Andromeda’ (2018), an enveloping facsimile derived from his ‘Veil Paintings’ series (2017). Through layers of hand–mixed paint dispersed in Pointillism-like strokes, these works act like veils, entities Hirst calls ‘solid yet invisible and reveals and yet obscures the truth’. 

‘Andromeda’ does this through its exquisitely serene palette of thick colours, applied with distinct impasto and an energy reminiscent of the Abstract Expressionists. From the work’s upper right corner, an avalanche of blues, purples, pinks and white fall to meet darker blues as well as reds, oranges and yellows. These rapturous colours are evocative of a sweetshop, rendering ‘Andromeda’ a successful fulfilment of Hirst’s perennial experiments with joy produced through colour. 

These layered colours in short thick strokes create a sense of depth. The more one looks at ‘Andromeda’, the more colours and shades that emerge behind the layers. There is a sense that one could step into this world and indeed one hopes to do so. This effect is retained in the present diasec-mounted giclée print on aluminium panel, a superb facsimile that mystically captures the textures, depth and vibrant colours of the original work.