12 Rue Jacob 1986

Jim Dine's rendering of 12 Rue Jacob is made of charcoal, almost like smoke, and has emerged through trial, error, and intuition. I sympathize with Dine, who has worked so intensely with his medium to make this portrait emerge from darkness. What was he thinking when he made it? As an artist, it is as if he is pulling the woman from his memory using erasures, smudges, and lines. Dine has used so much charcoal, the piece has a velvety texture. The charcoal is thick in some places and thin in others, creating tonal contrasts. The marks around the face, like smoke, create a beautiful halo effect. Dine's earlier works often used hearts as a symbol of romantic longing and identity, and perhaps in this piece, he is exploring the same ideas. Artists are constantly in conversation, riffing off each other and exchanging ideas. Painting is a form of expression that embraces ambiguity, allowing for multiple readings.