Be Thoughtful

Be Thoughtful is the final polymer-gravure etching in a series of four titled Lessons In Love by Damien Hirst from 2018. The etching shows an image of five hyperrealist butterflies in saturated colours set against a rich colour field of deep purple. Hirst’s intuitive colour choice is based on aesthetic and non-rational demands that have remained in his practice since his art training at Goldsmiths.

Lessons In Love exudes a sense of happiness, vibrance and joy in its use of bright and contrasting colours, as well as the butterfly motif functioning as a traditional representation of beauty. Be Thoughtful uses the butterfly motif to capture the essence of light-heartedness and love as well as to dissolve boundaries between art, science and popular culture.

Much of Hirst’s work seeks to explore the uncertainties at the core of human experience: love, life, death, loyalty and betrayal through unconventional media. Lessons In Love points to this exploration in its title, each of the prints describing an action of affection or care such as Be Considerate and Be Thoughtful. Speaking of his interest in the topic of love, Hirst has explained, “Love is a beautiful thing, and I see it as a small antidote to the horrors of the world.”