Untitled (From Ten Winter Tools) 1973

Editor: So this drawing, "Untitled (From Ten Winter Tools)" created by Jim Dine in 1973, appears to be a mixed media piece, employing graphite and charcoal. There's a central, quite realistic rendering of what seems to be a pair of pliers...but it's also obscured with smudgy dark marks. I find it quite enigmatic, a bit unsettling even. What do you see in this work? Curator: Enigmatic is a good word for it. To me, this image vibrates with a quiet, almost introspective energy. You see, Dine wasn't just representing tools; he was imbuing them with a presence, a personality even. Think about it: what is a tool, really, but an extension of our own hand, our own will? He’s hinting, I believe, at the intimate relationship we have with these objects, particularly in acts of creation or repair. Do you feel that in the somewhat aggressive use of charcoal? Editor: I think I do see that now, but the looseness and incomplete erasure…I hadn't quite read that relationship. Is there something particular about that "winter" set? Curator: Ah, "winter." It suggests a stillness, a slowing down. The time of year we huddle indoors, mending and fixing, preparing for renewal. The charcoal smudges might even hint at the residue of that labor, the soot and grime of winter tasks. Imagine the calloused hands wielding these tools, the faint smell of oil and metal. Does it make you think differently about minimalist art? Editor: Yes! I do now! Thanks so much! It isn’t just the simplicity of the image but the implied activity around those tools. They suddenly seem much warmer. Curator: Exactly. Perhaps, just perhaps, that's what Dine wanted to convey—the warmth hidden within the cold. It's all in what the art inspires within *you*.