"Cool" Series No. 26 (First Love) 1963

Perle Fine made "Cool" Series No. 26 (First Love) with oil paint and a simple approach to layering colours. You can really see the process here, like she's thinking out loud with the brush. The physicality of the painting is so present. Look at the green rectangle and how it hovers, it almost feels like a window, but the paint is thick enough that we know it's really just a surface. It reminds me that painting is always about surfaces, real and imagined. The texture is a little rough, a little uneven, and that gives it so much personality. It’s like Fine is saying, "Here it is, in all its imperfect glory." This piece feels connected to the work of Agnes Martin, both artists were interested in the subtle power of simplicity and how minimal gestures can hold so much emotion. But where Martin is austere, Fine feels more approachable, more human. And that’s the magic of art, isn’t it?