Cannizaro – H4-4

Layers upon layers of blues, reds, oranges, yellows, greens, pinks and white cover Damien Hirst’s ‘Cannizaro’ (2018), a dreamlike facsimile print of an original painting. The present work is derived from Hirst’s acclaimed ‘Veil Paintings’ (2017) in which the artist layered Bonnard-like coloured paints across the picture plane in short strokes reminiscent of Pointillism. The result are veil-like works, entities that could be passed through while nonetheless remaining physical boundaries.  

Hirst refers to his palette as ‘sweet shop colours and the colours of fruit and flowers’, giving reason for the liveliness of ‘Cannizaro’. He unevenly applied these colours with thick impasto, at times splattering the paints across the canvas in an Abstract Expressionist-like manner, creating an undeniable sense of movement.  

In their various shades these colours are unevenly and seemingly infinitely layered, generating an impression of depth akin to a maze that beckons one to enter and weave through its colourful contents. None of this is lost in the present work, an incredible diasec-mounted giclée print on aluminium panel which brilliantly captures the colour, depth and texture of the original work. It also builds on Hirst’s veil interpretations, acting as another boundary before the world within the composition.