Jim Dine is an American pop artist who was most active in the 1960s and 70s and has featured in exhibitions alongside Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol. His work is also part of collections in prestigious galleries such as: the British Museum; the Tate Modern; and the Museum of Modern Art.
I am particularly drawn to Dine's collection 'Ten Winter Tools' (1973), which are black and white lithography prints of various tools. Dine describes these objects as "a link with our past, the human past, the hand", perhaps because everything we have today can be traced back to basic tools and human ingenuity. Humans are naturally resourceful and have used creativity throughout history to improve our quality of life. Our whole society was once just an idea, and with the right tools, these ideas can be brought into reality in a practical, physical way. The subjects of Dine's work has particular significance to his family, who owned a hardware shop. The artist grew up around these tools, so he is able to see their value and potential. This is often overlooked because they seem like mundane objects.
The composition of these prints is simple but technical, almost as if the drawings are for scientific analysis or documentation. The simplicity means all the attention is on the subjects, which highlights their often-overlooked significance. This is added to by the rough texture and high contrast that allows all the marks of the objects to stand out, giving them clear depth and definition. Therefore, the prints almost seem 3D effect, which adds to the sense of realism, despite the expressive qualities of Dine's marks. I am interested in how Dine has created such depth in monochrome pieces, and would like to explore black and white media in my own work. To do so, I could experiment with texture to add an extra level to my mark-making.
In response to my research into Jim Dine's work, I created a black and white mixed media drawing, in which I experimented with mark-making. I began by adding texture to my paper using sandpaper and scissors to make scratches and remove the 'perfect, polished' feel. This allowed me to be more expressive throughout my work, as I wasn't worried about making 'perfect' marks. I then built up layers of graphite, chalk and willow/compressed charcoal, which picked up the textures I had previously made. I experimented with line and juxtaposed harsh, straight lines with softer curves to represent movement in the water around the shell. I added washes of ink to darken areas and blend some marks together to create a more cohesive pattern. Onto my background, I sketched out my shell, paying attention to the proportion, so it it was accurate like the subjects of Dine's work. I layered both wet and dry media to create detail and definition in my observation. I also used white chalk and an eraser to lighten my background and highlights- therefore increasing contrast and depth. I like how the abstract nature of the background contrasts the realistic details of the subject, as this creates a separation between the two. The rough texture is also reflective of the actual shell, and I would like to continue experimenting with the relationship between the subject and the texture of my work.
When making my drawing I was reminded of an article I read about a recent oil spill in Mauritius. Around 1,200 tonnes of oil has been spilled from a Japanese ship, which is a major threat to marine life and local biodiversity. The community has banded together in an attempt to clean up the spill and reduce the impact on the environment.
The shell in my drawing could represent the natural beauty that the people of Mauritius are trying to save, especially because I worked hard with layers to allow the object to emerge from the background. The background itself has a rough texture and is very dark in places- perhaps reflecting the damage oil itself, which is thick like drawing ink. This also links to the theme of humanity, as it shows how hard work can save natural beauty from manmade damage (like the shell from my damaged background, or marine life from an oilspill).
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