Drag - Johnson and Mao 1967

Jim Dine made this print of Johnson and Mao sometime around the late 60s, and it’s like he's riffing on Warhol, but with a twist. The halftone dots give it that pop feeling, but then there's this hand-applied drag makeup – garish color right on their faces. Look at the ruby red lips, painted with thick and glossy brushstrokes, and those vibrant rouge circles and stars, a playful dialogue between printmaking and painting. It’s not just reproduction, it’s like Dine is giving these figures a makeover, questioning authority, maybe, or just having some fun. The flat planes and bold colors remind me a bit of early Hockney, who was also playing with image and identity at the time. Dine always had a knack for taking something familiar and turning it on its head. It's like he's saying art, like politics, is all about performance and transformation.