Damien Hirst, H4-4 Cannizaro, 2018

Diasec-mounted Giclée print on aluminum panel

36.25 x 49.75 in | 92 x 126 cm

Ed of 75

Layers upon layers of blues, reds, oranges, yellows, greens, pinks and white cover Damien Hirst’s ‘Cannizaro’, a dreamlike facsimile print from an original painting. Published in 2018, the present work is from Hirst’s ‘Veils’ (H4) series, in which sensuous details derived from his acclaimed ‘Veil Paintings’ (2017) are depicted: from the layers of Pierre Bonnard-like colour to the short strokes reminiscent of Pointillism. The result is veil-like works, entities that apparently 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’, named for the park in London. He 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 pathways. None of this is lost in ‘Cannizaro’, 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.