"Cool" Series No. 36 (Rough-Hewn) 1963

Perle Fine made "Cool" Series No. 36 (Rough-Hewn) with paint, exploring what happens when you let colors meet and mingle on a canvas. Look at how she's built up these layers – it's like she's thinking through the painting, right there on the surface. I love how the yellow kind of hums against that hazy blue, those rectangles pushing and pulling at each other. It's not about hiding the process; you can see every little brushstroke, every decision she made. There's a spot on the right of the inner orange shape, where the colours bleed together, creating a little halo of light. Fine was part of this whole Abstract Expressionist scene, and she’s clearly in conversation with the likes of Rothko and Newman, but in her own way. It is open ended and spacious, like a conversation that goes on, and on.