Jim Dine – författare

Jim Dine redefines everything, his life and his (he)art in these 52 books. Trying to realize the depth of his aesthetic and profane reality, the books are also documents of an artistic consciousness, of an intense biography, of personal likes and dislikes, of formal richness and of exploding craftsmanship, of an exceptional imagination.These books invent the context for a new melody for the art of Jim Dine, for all the major byways of this seemingly inexhaustible creativity, which combines dream and reality — it is a composition for all the people who would like to sing a new song, maybe their own song.Dine has reflected authentically on his own identity and through it the identity of reality, nature, art, thoughts, feelings in an extraordinary poetic way: we see a POEM, we read an IMAGE.They are books one may read and regard as a summary of an unusual life.This Hot Dream first appeared as an idea 13 years ago. Steidl embraced and blessed the project so I went ahead. I stewed about it for two years then I stood around waiting to talk to Gerhard about it then finally I got down to putting the books together. My method, as in all my work, is the use of collage, painting and drawing, and correcting; coupled with my writing and my untouched photographs. The fact of making a book a week and the sensual possibilities i.e. the act of making a union with humans through the smell of the ink on the paper, the feel of the images and words. Hot Dream tells a lot about me, Dine, and bookmaking.Jim Dine, Göttingen, June 2018

“I am an object maker.” Jim Dine Night Fields, Day Fields is a survey of Jim Dine’s sculpture from 1959 to 2009. Dine is commonly seen as a prolific painter, printmaker and photographer whose central practice is drawing, but this book shows that sculpture is just as important in his oeuvre. Here we discover Dine’s favourite and reoccurring motifs: hearts, tools, skulls, and Pinocchio, as well as Classical sculpture in the form of Venus de Milo and Winged Victory. Dine’s media are as diverse as his themes and include bronze, wood, glass and found objects. His styles are similarly manifold, testament to an artist who has shrugged off the trappings of Pop Art to develop an eclectic body of styles that is unique and authoritative in contemporary art. Born in 1935 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Jim Dine completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Ohio in 1957, and has since become one of the most profound and prolific contemporary artists. Dine’s unparalleled career spans fifty years and his work is held in numerous private and public collections. His books at Steidl include Birds (2001), The Photographs, so far (2003), and Hot Dream (52 Books) (2008).

Jim Dine’s status as a master draughtsman is unquestioned and this book presents the best of his most recent drawings. Hello Yellow Glove opens with one of Dine’s most treasured motifs, Pinocchio. Using dense charcoal and dripping washes, Dine depicts the sinister edge to Carlo Collodi’s story and Pinocchio’s isolation in his quest to become a real boy. With similar dark layers and dissolving forms Dine also depicts botanical motifs such as the thistle and catalpa tree. In addition to these bodies of work, Hello Yellow Glove presents Dine’s portrait of Gerhard Steidl, an ambitious suite of nine drawings made by the artist in his Göttingen studio. Alongside reproductions of the drawings are photographs of Dine taken by Steidl during the sittings, which form both a candid portrait of the artist and offer a rare glimpse into his working processes. Born in 1935 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Jim Dine is a prolific painter, draughtsman, print-maker and photographer. Initially associated with the Pop movement, Dine’s career spans over forty years and his work is held in many private and public collections. His books with Steidl include Birds (2001), The Photographs, so far (2003) and Hot Dream (52 Books) (2008).

“Inspired by a semi-autobiographical book by the mid-20th century German printmaker HAP Grieshaber, I have used his idea to create a story of fifty years as a printmaker. The book includes interviews with my printers and memories of my life around the prints I made at that time. I have made over a thousand prints so far and I am not done yet. There are “key” images illustrated, and the text attempts to marry the technical with my emotional feeling for the mediums, etching, lithography, woodcut and silkscreen. I have included recipes for variations on intaglio and some stories of my friendships with these gifted artisans who have produced this work.” Jim Dine