View I 1998

Ruth Fine made this print, View I, using a monochrome palette to create a scene, or rather, the feeling of a scene. Look at the way that Fine lets her lines accumulate to suggest the density of the foliage. You can feel her process as she adds detail, not to create a perfect rendering of nature, but to suggest the experience of being in it. The material aspects of the work are really interesting – it’s not just about what's depicted, but how it's depicted. Notice how the texture of the paper interacts with the ink, creating a sort of dance between the material and the image. Look at the way that the dark orb towards the top right hangs like a ripe piece of fruit. It sits in contrast to the nervous hatching that describes the branches. It is Fine's sensitivity to mark-making that makes this image sing. Thinking of other artists, it reminds me a little of Guston, the way he made marks build up, not to deliver a clear picture, but to create a world of their own.