Rose 1984

Jim Dine’s ‘Rose’ is a print, but it feels so painterly. You can almost see him moving around the plate, wiping away at the image, adding and subtracting to find these gorgeous rose forms. There’s something so generous in the way he renders those petals, so full of love, and the image feels like an homage to his heroes. I can imagine Jim Dine thinking of all the artists who came before him who drew and painted flowers. Maybe he was thinking of Cy Twombly, or Manet, or even some long forgotten botanical illustrator. What I love about Dine’s work is how immediate it feels. He’s not trying to be perfect, but the roses are somehow incredibly emotive. Each mark is so considered, so present. The heavy black marks that make up the negative space seem to be holding everything together. It’s like a conversation with a friend. Artists are always in conversation with each other, and here Jim Dine is telling us something about life, beauty, and painting itself.