Name: The Dead (racing green, raven black)
Brand: Damien Hirst
Rating: 5 (231 reviews)

Meaning & Analysis

The Dead (racing green, raven black) is a signed foil block print in colours on Arches paper produced by renowned contemporary artist, Damien Hirst. In the print, Hirst depicts a floating skull in a dark racing green with raven black shading against a plain white backdrop. In the centre of the composition, the skull appears to be staring out at the viewer of the print.

The print, which was made in 2009, is part of the artist’s The Dead series. The series is composed of thirty-one prints, all of which show the same image of a skull. Hirst enlivens the skull through his use of colour, ensuring that no two skulls in the series have the same combination of colours. While some prints in the series opt for more subtle colours, such as The Dead (silver gloss, gunmetal), prints like The Dead (loganberry pink, lime green) are composed of bold, contrasting colours. The colours in The Dead (racing green, raven black) are quite dark, unlike some of the brighter prints in the series.

The central theme of The Dead series is, as the title indicates, death. Hirst often explores the relationship between life, death and art in his works. The artist is renowned for his use of skulls in his artworks, as well as his incorporation of dead insects and animals.