I’ve got an obsession with death … But I think it’s like a celebration of life rather than something morbid. –Damien Hirst

Pop icon Damien Hirst’s Kaleidoscope paintings of butterflies are one of his most recognizable series of works. In 2008, Hirst created a collection of 150 ‘Psalm’ paintings, each titled after an entry in The Book of Psalms, such as Psalm 125: Qui confidunt. As part of the Kaleidoscope series, these exquisite works present colorful butterfly wings precisely arranged in intricate geometric patterns into household gloss on canvas.

Psalm 125: Qui confidunt references the spiritual symbolism of the butterfly and its metamorphosis, used by the Greeks to depict the soul and psyche, and similar to Christian stained glass Church windows and Hindu mandalas. Hirst’s fascination with butterflies is their universal appeal, once stating: “I think rather than be personal you have to find universal triggers: everyone’s frightened of glass, everyone’s frightened of sharks, everyone loves butterflies.” For Hirst, the allure of butterflies is created by the appearance of the life they retain in death – the wing’s colorful patterns celebrate the dazzling aesthetic magnificence of life. At the same time, the bright butterfly motif has a darker morbid meaning that all existence is ultimately fleeting and fragile.