The best science possesses an artistic blessing perhaps not applied to the dirty and messy world of paleontology. First, there are all the digs, then there is the debate on how to interpret the fragmented results and piece them into the big picture. But a new painting by artist Damien Hirst, titled “A New, Small Species of Human Has Been Discovered,” brings the face of Homo floresiensis (the hobbit) – one of the most iconic images of paleontology in recent times – to the gallery.
Realism in Photographic Paintings
Realism – the accurate reproduction of photographic images on canvas – is an astonishing new direction for Hirst, who is considered a pioneer in the British art scene of the 1990s. Known for preserving animals in glass cases, he has participated in several scientific projects in the past. One of his well-known abstract paintings traveled to Mars aboard the ill-fated Beagle 2 spacecraft; had it landed more smoothly, it was intended to be used to calibrate the spacecraft’s cameras.
Hirst’s Inspiration to Paint the Hobbit
Other creations by Hirst in photographic realism include images of the Iraq conflict, animal experimentation, and a chilling reproduction of a British police anti-drugs campaign poster showing the gaunt features of a now-deceased drug addict. But what inspired him to tackle Homo floresiensis, which was revealed in Nature magazine last October? “It’s just an excuse to paint skulls,” he says. Perhaps, but the discovery of the hobbit might be amusing to them, seeing the fruits of their labor elevated to an artistic form.
Exhibition “Lost Truth”
The painting “A New, Small Species of Human Has Been Discovered” is part of the exhibition “Lost Truth,” which can be viewed at the Gagosian Gallery in New York until April 23.
Source: Hirst, Michael. “Hobbit Hirst.” Nature 434, 702 (2005).
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