Expectans Expectavi
Expectans Expectavi
Signed Print
Damien Hirst
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Medium: Screenprint
Edition size: 25
Year: 2015
Size: H 46cm x W 46cm
Signed: Yes
Format: Signed Print
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Meaning & Analysis
Expectans Expectavi is a signed silkscreen print with glaze produced by renowned contemporary artist, Damien Hirst. Using a vibrant blue square canvas, Hirst produces an intricate pattern of butterflies. This print is bursting with colour, with orange, blue, yellow and red dominating the composition. The variety of colours captures the spectacular natural beauty of the butterfly. The butterflies in this print are arranged more freely than others in the series, making it stand out from the other prints as a livelier and more dynamic piece.
The print, which Hirst produced in 2015, is one of 150 prints that compose the Psalms series. In this series, Hirst creates an array of prints, all of which are centred around butterflies arranged in intricate patterns. The prints in the series are all named after a psalm from the Old Testament, reflective of how religion is a central theme in the series.
The butterfly is an image imbued with spiritual symbolism. The image is used by the Greeks to depict the Psyche and is also found in Christian imagery to represent the resurrection. As well as exploring religion through the Psalms series, the prints can also be read as exploring the nature of beauty, due to the incredible natural beauty that butterflies possess. The prints also touch on themes of life and death, as butterflies, for Hirst, encapsulate the fragility of life.
Damien Hirst, born in Bristol in 1965, is often hailed the enfant terrible of the contemporary art world. His provocative works challenge conventions and his conceptual brilliance spans installations, paintings, and sculptures, often exploring themes of mortality and the human experience. As a leading figure of the Young British Artists (YBA) movement in the late '80s, Hirst's work has dominated the British art scene for decades and has become renowned for being laced with controversy, thus shaping the dialogue of modern art.
