Damien Hirst: the Tranquility of Solitude

From start to finish, Death has seen both horrors and wonders. However, in his profession, Death mainly witnesses the horrific parts of life, and he needs the reader to know that he is not immune to the suffering he

With an obviously winter landscape developed through tones of silver, grey, gold, and black, the theme of death is emphasized in the ephemeral setting and single star in the far distance, as well as within the dying figure laying to rest in the bottom of the landscape, gazing out upon the rolling hills, north star, and a shadow walking upon the glowing path that melts out of their shining body. At subtle peace, this figure has her head wrapped, hands folded, and face turned away from the viewer's eye. The blanket snugly wrapped around her liquefies into the trail snaking across the valley. The catch to this painting that seems to bring into question life after death, as well as the religious connotations

The artist of whose work I observed was Damien Hirst. He was born June 7 1965 and is an English artist, entrepreneur and art collector. The piece of art I observed was “Bring Forth the Fruits of Righteousness from Darkness”, it is a gloss covered canvas covered by real butterfly wings and household paint. It is set up to resemble three stained-glass windows from a gothic cathedral. The piece is on display at the Cleveland Museum of art and on loan for five years. The work of art showcases Hirst’s theme of death that is shown in many of his pieces.

Each individual has a unique way of coping with death, and this is evident throughout Christina Rossetti’s, “Remember” and W. H. Auden’s “Stop all of the Clocks”.

By biological logic, we human beings will face death sooner or later in our life and death has its very own ways to approach us - a sudden deadly strike, a critical sickness, a tragic accident, a prolonged endurance of brutal treatment, or just an aging biological end. To deal with the prospect of death come different passive or active reactions; some may be scared and anxious to see death, some try to run away from it, and some by their own choice make death come faster. But Viktor Frankl, through his work Man’s Search for Meaning, and Bryan Doyle; in his essay “His Last Game” show us choices to confront the death, bring it to our deepest feelings, meaningful satisfaction. To me, the spirit of the prisoners at deadly concentration camps, Frankl’s Logotherapy theory of “. . . striving to find a meaning in one’s life is the primary motivational force in man.” (99), as well as the calmness of Doyle’s brother on his last ride, like an awaken bell, remind us of how precious life is, how we should find the significance in every act of living, determine to live a meaningful life at any circumstances; hence, when death comes, we can accept it without anxiety nor regrets.

In terms of subject matter, both works are visual depictions of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. In each painting, Christ is the central figure, surrounded by two groups of figures. On the left, a group of women that includes the Virgin Mary mourns over the dead body of Christ, while on the right is a group of soldiers and other lamenters. Both works feature a rocky landscape on which the figures are positioned. Encircling Christ are several angels whose gestures of lamentation echo those of the figures below. Highlighting the severity of each scene is the blood that pours from Jesus' wounds. The blood from his feet drips onto human bones that are embedded in the rocky terrain below. The skull serves as a "memento mori," or a reminder of death, an idea that has been repeated in several other depictions of Christ's crucifixion.

The contrast between the light cream background and the maroon blouse have successfully drawn in viewers attention. The contrasting colours have made the overall artwork standout. The viewers eyes are snatched towards the vibrant red then it is directed to Kramer’s peaceful expression. Her expression is identified as the focal point of the painting. It encapsulates the meaning of stillness expressing the relaxation and tranquilness. Greensmith had chosen to use a variety of different colour tones to help sculpt and emphasis Kramer’s features. The use of darker shades towards her left side creates a shadow, indicating her angled sitting position.

John William Godward’s painting lone portrays how the maintenance of appearance and self preservation is a desideratum. The painting consists of a pale, curly haired brunette woman with a flower crown set on her head, looking into a handheld mirror as she strikes a pose with her opposite hand. Flowing down from her shoulders and around her waist, the sheer quality of her gown paired with the tightness of the gold ribbon wrapped tightly to accentuate her figure exudes sensuality.

Alone, the protagonist becomes delusional from being confined to her room for such long time with no release. “Barred windows for little children and rings and things in the walls” make her room out to be more of a prison than a place of healing (Gilman). Even the pattern of the wallpaper “at night in any kind of light … becomes bars” confirming her feeling of a prison-like stay in her bedroom (Gilman). Feeling imprisoned, she casts her feelings onto the wallpaper. It goes from a figurative prison sentence to quite a literal one as isolation boosts her need to escape. Everything about the bedroom leads the protagonist further into insanity. Her husband, John, says, “Bless her little

This potential pathway also accurately portrayed the correlation and dependent relationship between a person's body during death, and how nature still takes control over the human body even after life. In the original pieces, I had painted a rib cage and the bones of a hand, using Baroque watercolour pencils. For my developed potential pathways, I had created larger and more detailed versions. Two out of the three paintings had become potential final pieces, the third not being developed enough to my standards. Refining this further, I had decided to use the Eraldo watercolour set, creating more vibrancy and tone in the plants that are entwined with the skeleton. I refrained from focusing on organs, but rather the bones that remain after death. I had woven numerous plants and flowers throughout the cracks and creases of the skeletal hand, exploring the concept further in depth. I had altered my original theme by using warm colours in comparison to the cool; instead of the harsh blue and purple hues, the definite plan for my final piece was refined with blossoming flowers and warm coloured bone structure. This had given the overall painting a vibrant hue, exploring the beauty in physical alterations from life to death, and the environmental factors contributing to its physical

Death. The topic no one likes to discuss despite it being an inevitable part of life since humans came into existence. Simply thinking about the phrase, “I am going to die,” causes most people to become extremely uncomfortable, evoking unwanted emotions such as dread and fear. Humans will do anything to distract themselves from this depressing reality. Whether it’s using drugs or going out with friends, people frequently engage in activities that push darker thoughts to the back of their minds to be dealt with at a later time. Hanging in the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA), the painting Leyster, The Last Drop (Fig. 1) captures the complexities of coming to terms with one’s own mortality. Judith Leyster’s use of lighting, color, and symbols in the piece come together to express the struggle people go through to give their lives meaning in the context of eternity, making observers confront the temporal limits of their humanity right on the spot.

The author’s diction makes the reader feel that death ca be defeated. For example, death has been called “mighty and dreadful” but the author shows that it is not more than a “short sleep” where men go for the “rest of their bones.” The general idea of death is frightful and scary, but the reader is told that it’s only a short phase everyone goes through. It’s an opportunity for men to separate their soul and physical body. In

I've actually seen this painting before in one of the classrooms in the Academic Center at University of Baltimore. Ironically enough, it is one of the classrooms that a lot of forensic science classes take place and it is also a lab: one of my teachers has even pointed out the painting and discussed it. My teacher told the class that most people assume it is a suicide but that is only because they are unaware of the story and context of this painting. I think it is interesting that not only does this

Vittore Carpaccio’s symmetrical input truly served it’s purpose. Focusing on the center third of the painting, there’s a mere perfect symmetrical contrast of life and death top to bottom. Most impacting is the symmetrical division of the malnourished and tortured body of Jesus Christ, The left side of his body is in a lively sitting posture on the throne. While his right side is the embodiment of death, his punctured ribs and dangling arm. From the ground up, Carpaccio illustrates the contrast of life and death with minimal details in the painting. The supporting stones of the throne, directly below the arm rests, are divided by breakage, the left stone is cracked and falling apart, while the opposing stone appears to be intact. Vittore Carpaccio managed to capture the cycle of life with many elements one wouldn’t think of comparing life and death with. The top left portion of the throne is a half broken, followed by Jesus’s deadly posture to the falling apart ground stone of the throne, Death is captured in a very recognizable minimalistic form.

From its inevitable coming to its eternal existence, Dickinson explains her feelings and thoughts toward death in the full, "circumference" of its philosophy. As she edged towards the end of her life, Dickinson gave the world new poetic perspectives into the human mind and its dealing and avoidance of