Name: Twist And Shout
Brand: Damien Hirst
Rating: 5 (231 reviews)

Meaning & Analysis

Twist And Shout is one of 14 etchings from Damien Hirst’s second volume of the In A Spin, The Action Of The World Upon Things portfolio from 2002. The print is made up of concentric circles in the very centre of the composition, with scratchy and loosely rendered lines overlain on the surface in red, yellow and blue. The title of this print plays on the title of the famous Beatles song, whilst also indicating the dance move of twisting one’s body.

All of the etchings in the In A Spin, The Action Of The World Upon Things portfolio are variations on Hirst’s famous spin paintings. For these prints, Hirst attached a copper plates to a spin machine in his studio, onto which he drew the wiry lines with sharp tools. Hirst’s spin paintings were partly inspired by a long exposure photograph where he captured the movement of the stars in the sky caused by the rotation of the earth. This activity inspired the expression articulated in the title, ‘The Action of the World on Things’.

In A Spin, The Action Of The World Upon Things represents Hirstian abstraction at its best, combining the element of chance with mechanical intervention. The result is a beautiful composition made up of intricate coloured lines that convey a sense of movement and speed. Twist and Shout is particularly expressive alongside other prints in the series, with eccentric splashes and lines that appear to move on the surface of the print itself.