Damien Hirst (b. 1965)

"(I)n the spot paintings the grid-like structure creates a beginning of a system. On each painting no two colors are the same. This ends the system; it's a simple system." (Damien Hirst, I want to spend the rest of my life everywhere, with every one, one to one, always forever, now, London 1997 p. 244).

With the use of a differentiating pattern of colors in Arachidic Acid, Hirst creates--from a distance--an uneven flow throughout the work. The inherent weight and perceived content of each color forces the eye through this minefield of the individual characteristics and systematic ordering; a manic experience tightly manipulated by the artist. However, upon close inspection, the linear design ceases and the unique, individual quality of each spot comes to light. The subtle imperfections in the perimeter of each of the spots illustrate the individualistic quality behind each work.