Fruitful – H8-1

Hypnotically thick impasto in delightfully garish hues define Damien Hirst’s ‘Fruitful’, a limited edition print illustrating abstract Details from his new painting series ‘Cherry Blossoms’. Depicting blossom trees in full bloom, the series is inspired by the work of Bonnard, Monet, Van Gogh and the Pointillist innovations of Seurat. On the edge of abstraction and figuration, the ‘Cherry Blossoms’ see Hirst combine elements of gestural painting in his thick brushstrokes with more traditional techniques. Such is on display in ‘Fruitful’, composed of dynamic swaths of white, pink and green paint that pull across the frame against a dark background. The exceedingly viscous material curls and bends as if alive, the colours meeting and overlapping. A frame packed with action and intrigue, ‘Fruitful’ not only offers an unprecedented and exceedingly clear view of Hirst’s painterly techniques, but it is an artwork in its own right.