Damien Hirst's blasphemy
Damien Hirst infamously stuck a dead shark in container full of formaldehyde, gave it a title and called it art. One of his worst is a dead lamb, enclosed in a glass cage of formaldehyde which he cruelly entitled Away from the Flock. Later on, he got rid of the formaldehyde, and just started to display rotting animals.
I was pleasantly surprised to see some more recent art works of his that seemed to portray simple beauty and with titles like Crown of Glory. Still they looked just a little too symmetrical at first glance.
My slight suspicion was soon justified. Hirst used dead butterflies, thousands of them, to make his images which look like stained-glass windows.
This is something creepily sacrilegious on many levels.
Firstly, Hirst is demonstrating his inherent laziness. Stained glass are made through skill, creativity and talent. They are created almost out of nothing, coming from deep within the artist's imagination. Hirst forfeited talent and skill, and instead spent his time collecting dead butterflies to mimic these great works of art.
Secondly, why didn't Hirst use collages of paper, if he really cannot draw or carve out glass? Unlike butterfly collectors, who work with one butterfly at a time, one wonders how many Hirst killed, or had killed, to come with the thousands that he needed for his collage.
And finally, stained glass are associated with Churches, and a glorification of God. Hirst has managed to entice us into the beauty of stained glass, and simultaneously spook us with his method. His intention had never been to produce religious pieces, but rather items that would shock and repulse people.
It is no surprise that one his most popular and expensive work is a diamond encrusted human skull. He sold the piece, which he called For the Love of God, for $100 million.
With artists like this, who needs the Devil.