The most influential member of a school of artists originating from Goldsmiths, University of London in the 1980s, Hirst has become a household name. His work focuses on the fundamental elements of life, including death and love, which he expresses in controversial sculptures, installations and paintings. The present work, Politeness, is from the artist’s Virtues series consisting of eight works all named after 'The Eight Virtues of Bushidō" - Justice, Courage, Mercy, Politeness, Honesty, Honour, Loyalty and Control.

The cherry blossom is one of Hirst's best known themes, the artist has been quoted saying “Cherry Blossoms are about beauty and life and death. They’re extreme – there’s something hopeful yet hopeless about them. They’re art but taken from nature. They’re about desire and how we process love and why we need it, but also these prints are about the momentary, the insane transience of beauty – a tree in full crazy blossom against a clear blue sky. How can you argue with that? It’s been so good to make these prints, to be completely lost in colour for a while. Blossoms are optimistic and bright yet fragile, just like we are and I hope that The Virtues can remind us to always try and get the most from life.”