Damien Hirst Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Damien Hirst - Essay Example It seems the MFA wanted someone who has a high-status in the art world, and who better than the most famous living British artist Damien Hirst. Although, attached with the name Damien Hirst - undoubtedly comes controversy. The MFA boasts Hirst's celebrity artist profile in the write-up about the show, calling him one of "the most influential living artists". The text, which describes his career since the 90's, appears in the brochure and also in the entry way of the Foster gallery where most of his work is displayed. In addition, accompanying all his pieces are short explanations with quotes directly from the artist. For the people who are unfamiliar with Hirst's work, the wall labels serve to instruct and "fill in" the viewer. However, in an attempt to do this, the wall labels end up reducing the art to single and easy-to-grasp concepts such as death or beauty. Due to the extremely instructional nature of the labels, which explicitly explain the piece and artist's "intention", there is little room for the viewer to construct their own opinions. What adds to the instructive nature of the text is the sense that it is defending the work and the artist himself. Essentially the work is meant to shock or intrigue, while the writing seems to clarify and defend. For example, Away from the Flock which is positioned directly in front of the entrance is supposed to shock the viewer. Intrigued--or disgusted- the viewer reads the paragraph that states Hirst did not kill the sheep, and that it is a piece about religion. The viewer is instantly appeased, and moves on, eager to read the next paragraph. Each paragraph explanation is makes Hirst seem more and more like a sensitive thinker type and it seems people are more intrigued with his image than his work. There should have been more focus on his art, rather than him. In the large opening wall label it states: "His materials are sometimes repellant, but his themes--the human condition, mortality, and beauty--are timeless and familiar throughout art history. Hirst has characterized hims elf as 'romantic' and 'kind of old-fashioned... in terms of ideas.'" It seems the MFA is uncomfortable with Hirst's work and tries to tone it down wherever they can--needing to explain every piece and adding in quotes form the artist to make him and his work more likeable. When attention is averted from the wall labels, and focused on the art, the pattern of the positioning of the work becomes clear. The logical movement around the gallery space follows a counter clockwise circle. The pieces are strategically placed around the room so that the most shocking and intense are placed at the beginning with the more toned down at the end. Away From the Flock, Judgment Day appear at the beginning, followed by a The Unbearable Likeness of Being and The Collector, and finally the last grouping is Arginine and Is Nothing Sacred. By the end of the rotation (excluding the spinning piece) the viewer is left feeling calmer and probably more reflective, rather than disgusted by the flies or sheep. Even the arrangement of the work seems to reflect the MFA's desire to tone down Hirst. Almost all the pieces have some sort of shock factor, which is characteristic of Hirst's work. The mass of dead flies, the dead sheep, the butterfly wings, and even the drugstore shelf, have such powerful shock value, that other factors beneath the surface of the work get lost. The piece