Forever – H8-3

Mesmerising, dynamic and entirely joyful, Damien Hirst’s ‘Forever’ is a limited edition print illustrating abstract Details from his new painting series ‘Cherry Blossoms’. On the edge of abstraction and figuration, the series sees Hirst combine elements of gestural painting in his thick brushstrokes with more traditional techniques. Depicting blossom trees in full bloom, the series is inspired by the work of Bonnard, Monet, Van Gogh and the Pointillist innovations of Seurat, which is uniquely present in ‘Forever’. Spots, their colours ranging from garish blues and pinks to more subdued black and white, are rendered in thick impasto. Unlike the symmetrical and evenly coloured shapes of his ‘Spots’ series, the material here is part of the form as the paint curls, falls and flows into the neighbouring colour bursts. A frame packed with action and intrigue, ‘Forever’ not only offers an unprecedented and exceedingly clear view of Hirst’s painterly techniques, but it is an artwork in its own right.