As we will be at Noho Marae at Awataha in week 4, this blog question is for week 4 and week 5.
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.
Damien's works involves in talking about the death and lives. this diamond skull work of his "For The Love Of God" consist of a platinum cast of a human skull encrusted with 8,601 flawless diamonds including the big one on the forehead part of the skull. It cost £14 million to produce this work, the work went on display at the White Cube gallery in London in an exhibition Beyond belief with an asking price of £50 million. which is the highest price paid for a single art work made by a living artist.
Damien Hirst wanted to show us that money worth nothing after death. he wanted us to realize that people are willing to take the risk of dieing for money (which worth nothing once we die). Damien Hirst also wants us to know that life cannot be bought. and we should enjoy and use the time wisely while we live.
Hi i am Arkawat long time no see Sawadee Kup lol.
ReplyDeleteI think this work "for the love of god" makes me think about when we dead we can't take anything to after life. I think he would like diamonds to represent beauty and wealth. Skull is representing nothingness or death even you are beauty or wealth in the time being but when you are dead. you are just a skull without diamonds. Thus i think this work he would like to show us Birth,Death and nothingness of after life.
hi this is jason liu, I think this work (for the love of god) want toeveryone know,when we have life in this would, we can make everythings, like diamonds, money ,car...... but when we dead ,we cant bring anything ,so we need to think about what is inportant when we have life.
ReplyDeleteYou only have to recognise in the titles of what Damien names his creations to know that he is a man who considers things deeply in relation to how he questions. “Hirst explores the uncertainty at the core of human experience; love, life, death, loyalty and betrayal through unexpected and unconventional media.” For this particular project he has explored the “transience of human existance”, which means how we end, or die. From the overall show “Beyond Belief” you can see that his works are namely about death, or the preservation of it, you have butterflies in paint, amazing fish skeletons, sheep in glass cases, cows etc. Hirsts works sold for an astounding total of a about 35 million, the diamond skull most expensive of all. When refering this achivement to the renaissance era of mercantilism you can see how wealth still dertermines status today.
ReplyDeleteReading previous comments, personally I found that money isolates people to a point in which they are corrupted till they die.
ReplyDeleteDamien explores meaning behind what people are afraid of hearing and that is that people have values that go beyond the thought of life even their own.
He also explains how the meaning of the skull is of great value but to be more literal the skull for me would be the more important artifact with or without the diamonds. Personally the diamonds are a barrier or a mask to cover the real meaning behind this piece without the "glits" or "glam" of todays society. The skull being the reality of life and the diamonds being the cover up, the safety net in which people need to catch them when life is just not all that great.