Formaldehyde animals and dot art? Who is the wild and controversial modern artist Damien Hirst?

When considering my modern art unit to teach our three boys, I wanted to pick something fitting of the “modern art” name. Strange, quirky and a little controversial, I thought this wild artist would entertain my three boys. As with most modern art, there is controversy and questions about “is this truly art?” and “what defines art?” Different from the classical art lessons before, Hirst provides a stark contrast between the classical and Renaissance artists from generations before. The strangeness of his art piques the curiosity and I thought this would be a great avenue to discussing art over the ages and provide a good discussion about what is art.

Who is Damien Hirst?

Born in 1965 in Bristol, England he lived primarily in Leeds, England and later moved to London to attend college at Goldsmiths College. He has won multiple awards including the Tate Britain Turner Prize and Young British Artists.

He’s controversial for taking real animals and formaldehyde and capturing them in lifelike or death like poses and encasing them in blue goo. Or death skulls with beads. Most of his artwork is selling in England for $20M or more. Some of his art has begun to allow for AI generated options to make your own styles and mimic his art. He is considered the richest artist in England with net wealth amassing over $700M.

Damien Hirst is a wild and controversial artist of the modern era. He lives in the UK and has a quirky style. Most of the attention given to his art is because it is DIFFERENT and it’s unique. When did art that was eye-catching go from sweeping oil landscapes like Monet to real animals frozen in time in formaldehyde?

How has art changed and evolved from the 1600’s until the early 2000’s?

The King of Controversial Art | MyArtBroker | Article

Damien Hirst | Biography, Art, & Facts | Britannica

Art Activities:

(1) Cherry Tree with Dots

Materials Needed:

• Tree Template
• Q-tips
• Tempera Paints
• Newspaper/tablecloth to keep mess
• Paper plate for paints

Lesson Steps:

1. Set up a varied amount of paints on the plate (Damien Hirst uses bright colors but any will work)
2. Starting in the center of the tree, dip a q-tip in a color and work outwards. Repeat with multiple q-tip colors.
3. Work in a circle outwards (for younger students, sketch a light pencil circle for them to trace/follow)

 Damien Hirst – Paper Blossoms | HENI Primary

(2) “Chancel” Salad Spinner Art

Materials Needed:

1. Salad Spinner
   • OR If you don’t have a salad spinner, use a circular Tupperware with lid and drill
   • OR circular Tupperware with lid and lazy Susan.
2. Paints dropped or from a squeeze bottle
3. Long toothpicks or spoon (if you want)

Lesson:

1. Set up your spinner
2. Measure the size of your circle tupperware or surface area and cut the cardstock paper for that size circle
3. Place on spinner (you may need to lightly tape it down)
4. Drop paint blobs in sections on the paper
5. Start spinning
6. Variation is to use the toothpick to swipe in towards outer edge of paper to create a line

OR take globs of paint and using toothpicks swipe outwards to create the “Chancel” Damien Hirst style art with the flower outwards pattern

Video of these crazy paintings: Damien Hirst – The Beautiful Paintings | HENI Editions

Other Extensions:

Want to get really wild and go beyond paint? Try making a formaldehyde animal (all plastic and pretend of course)

Materials:

1. Lots of clear glue
2. Water
3. A mason jar (small or big)
4. A plastic shark or plastic animal
5. Food coloring dye (blue if you want the “water” look)

Activity:

1. Mix 1 part glue and 1 part water in a bowl with a drop or two of food coloring (add more glue to make it thicker)
2. Pour into mason jar
3. Place plastic shark or other plastic animal in center
4. Mix another 1 part glue and one part water in bowl with a drop of food coloring
5. Pour slowing around animal to fill jar (and make sure the animal doesn’t move)
6. Secure lid to jar
7. You have your animal art!

As we have taken a journey through the ages of art, most of the time, we find that the truly creative and famous artists are quirky and a little strange. Damien Hirst does not disappoint on this and continues the strangeness with his obsession with mortality and controversial art.