damien hirst

upon looking at damien hirst's work and also reading about his career...i'm not really that impressed with his actual work, but more of how he's changed the art world, especially in recent times.

I think what i notice most about hirst is not his actual technique, as many of his works have been accused of being plagiarized in some way or another, but more of the ideas behind his works...which can be understood further by looking at the titles of each piece. He is known for being somewhat "outrageous", but in reality, most art is trying to be outrageous just for the sake of being outrageous. Damien hirst definitely tries to be outrageous in his work (using grotesque displays of nature such as in "mother and child divided" which features a severed cow suspended in formaldehyde). But I think more of his outrageousness comes from his celebrity, the price of his works, and his choice of taking other forms that may seem like plagarism.

the fact that hirst has achieved such a high level of celebrity has much to do with the press he's received from lawsuits and accusations of plagiarism but probably more to do with the price that many of his works have sold for in the past. in june 2007 he set a new world record for the most expensive work of art by a living artist when he sold "Lullaby Spring" for 19.2mil. His most famous piece perhaps is "For the Love of God" which features a skull encrusted with diamonds... this piece had an asking price of $100 million. The piece sold, but not right away- and it was sold to a consortium that includes Hirst himself and his gallery.

Hirst's art seems to not be in the actual physical works themselves, but the implications of each. by looking at the different titles the viewer can gain more insight into what hirst intended with each piece. his ridiculous prices for his works have changed the art world with a dramatic action, which is a big part of what art is about.