research the art work of Damien Hirst, in particular his work 'For the love of God'(2008), a diamond encrusted skull.
Discuss how Hirst's persona and work relate to the Renaissance concepts of Mercantillism and the (increased) status of the artist.
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Damien Hirst was born in 1965 in Bristol, United Kingdom. He lives and works in London and Devon. For the past two decades he has been widely acknowledged as the most important and influential artist of his generation. Hirst is the most prominent and well known member or the elite group YBA (young British artists).
ReplyDelete“For the Love of God” is a sculpture by artist Damien Hirst produced in 2007. The human skull used as the base for the work was percahnced in a shop in Islington, is thought to be that of a European living between 1720 and 1810. hirst has encrusted 8,601 diamonds including one of a larger scale on the forhead area which is a total of 1,106.18 carats. The work has said to have cost over 14 million punds to produce and create. This piece of work at an exhibition had an asking price of 50 million pounds which makes it the highest price or a single art piece by a living artist.
Mercantilism in the Renaissance era was “wealth” measured by the possession of precious metal e.g. gold etc. this relates back to this piece of Hirst work as in my opinion, the piece can seem more like a materialistic item than a work of art. The diamonds take centre stage as the focal point more than the process and way the piece as been created. The value and how much the piece is worth in my opinion is significant as it relates back to mercantilism as the possession of the diamonds is important to Hirst much like the ways of the people in the renaissance days with there precious metals and gems. The cost of the work also signifies the “social status” of Damian Hirst. All aspects from the creation, the materials, and the meaning behind Hirst piece of work have links back to the mercantilism era.
Hirst often explores the basic themes of human existence life, death, truth, love etc. this particular piece has caused much controversy and different opinions are interesting to read as peoples perceptions are very different. One believes that it’s a celebration of death with the skull being a centre point of diamonds, while others question if this is even art. Hirst has once quoted “I wouldn’t mind if this happened to my skull after death” and "It works much better than I imagined. I was slightly worried that we'd end up with an Ali G ring”
References
http://www.artnewsblog.com/2007/06/diamond-skull-by-damien-hirst.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_the_Love_of_God
http://www.artquotes.net/masters/hirst/for-the-love-of-god.htm
http://www.whitecube.com/exhibitions/beyond_belief/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g49gGKV7Epc