Dine's prints from the 1980s on are characterized by an increasing density and complexity of surface and layered depth. It is not merely a question of hand coloring but of nontraditional combinations of print media printed one over the other. One might refer to this phenomenon as "painting with printmaking." That is, not only do the prints take on a layered depth and usual richness of surface but the textures of different media are played off against each other, matte against glossy, for example. The resulting surfaces are extremely tactile in nature.
Clifford S. Ackley & Patrick Murphy, Jim Dine: Printmaker: Leaving My Tracks
Theme and Variation: A Dialogue on Fifty Years of Printmaking
Museum of Fine Arts Publishing, Boston, 2012, pages 10-11Jim Dine (b. 1935)
Born in Cincinnati, Jim Dine studied at the University of Cincinnati and at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts before receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Ohio University in 1957. His reputation in the art world began to grow in 1959 when he, along with Claes Oldenburg and Allan Kaprow, opened a gallery in the Judson Memorial Church (Judson Gallery) in Greenwich Village in New York City and staged a series of theatrical events they called “Happenings.”
While others have often associated his work with the Pop Art movement of the mid-20th century, his fascination with popular imagery and everyday objects has always carried a more personal component. He has extensively explored particular themes in a variety of media- painting, sculpture, printmaking- throughout his career. These themes have acquired the status of personal iconography and he claims them as part of his vocabulary or his “glossary of terms.” Among this iconography are hearts, tools, bathrobes, the Venus de Milo and Pinocchio. They are commonly recognized symbols, figures and objects, which become metaphors for larger concepts, while also functioning as part of his on-going “self-portrait”. As an avid reader, writer and poet, he shares, “language plays a big role in my work and has a big place in my life.”
Dine, renowned for his wit and creativity has a restless, searching intellect that leads him to challenge himself constantly. Over four decades, Dine has produced more than three thousand paintings, sculptures, drawings, and prints, as well as performance works, stage and book designs, poetry, and even music. His art has been the subject of numerous individual and group shows and is in the permanent collections of museums around the world.
Leslie Sacks Gallery
Bergamot
2525 Michigan Avenue, Suite B6
Santa Monica, California 90404
T 310 264 0640 | F 310 264 0740gallery(at)lesliesacks.com
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| Jim Dine Kindergarten Robes, 1983 Woodcut 59 x 73 inches Edition of 75 Signed and numbered DIX146B |
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Bergamot is an internationally renowned creative arts complex, boasting some 30 venerable galleries and creative businesses. The fine art galleries present regular and diverse rotating exhibitions featuring artists from all over the globe and across all mediums. Bergamot is a unique and unparalleled collection of fine art galleries. Throughout the year Bergamot hosts vibrant community and cultural activities and facilitates educational, non-profit and charitable events. Originally, the arts center was established in 1994 as Bergamot Station. In 2018, the Santa Monica City-owned property went under new management and was renamed simply, Bergamot. From 1875 to 1953 the site served as a railroad station for the Los Angeles and Independence Railroad, then later the Santa Monica Air Line. The property returned to its roots on May 20, 2016 with the opening of the Expo Line and the adjacent 26th Street/Bergamot stop situated at the North end of Bergamot. |