For over thirty years, the artwork of Jim Dine has represented the cutting-edge of contemporary artistic thought. As Dine's popularity endures, so does much of his personal imagery. His images vary as much as the media with which he renders them does; in general, however, they evoke a fascination with the body.

Heirloom

Some of the artist's corporeal references are obvious, such as the series of self-portrait, assemblage pieces of 1959 that substitute articles of clothing for actual body parts. Other references are more obscure. For example, his tool images - a symbol that reappears throughout his work - recall memories and emotions buried within the body (in this case, memories from his childhood).

The Sky in Madison, WI

Born in Ohio in 1935, Dine grew up working at a family-owned hardware store. Upon moving to New York in 1959, he immediately became part of the avant-garde art scene. At the time, many other artists responded to the broader culture with deadpan popular imagery; meanwhile, Dine created a unique style, electing to combine elements from popular culture with personal content. Using this as a guiding principle, he then selected images to represent both his inner self and his artistic persona. Eventually these images, including hearts, skulls, clothing, and tools, reached iconic status in his art, for they became blatantly self-referential.

The process of art-making itself, for Dine, is indeed a highly personal experience. In the case of his printmaking, Dine started with a basic image. Each time the artist viewed the image before him, he would respond to it by drawing gestural marks and adding bits of color. Dine returned to his work several times, gradually adding to the background atmosphere and subtly manipulating the lines surrounding the image. Every individual process brought about its own conclusion - whether or not the artwork produced the desired emotional effect - and as a whole, the finished piece represents a culmination of his satisfaction.