Forest 1989

This print, titled "Forest," was made by Ruth Fine, and it’s all about process, you can just tell. The monochromatic color scheme, using various shades of green, makes me think about the way a forest has depth to it - the way light filters through the canopy. Looking closely, you can see the texture of the paper, which works with the printed marks to give it this tactile quality. It's not trying to hide anything, it wants you to know its a print. The overlapping layers of green create this sense of density, like you're really in there, surrounded by foliage. There's this one particular spot, near the bottom right, where the lines are really dense and scribbly. It feels like a little explosion of energy, and it contrasts nicely with the more open, airy areas. Fine, like many artists, is in dialogue with those who came before. I'm reminded of other artists like Joan Mitchell, who also used nature as a jumping-off point for abstraction. Art is never really finished, it is just constantly being added to, changed, messed with...