Landscape Diptych 1986

Ruth Fine made this ‘Landscape Diptych’ print in 1986. It’s like she's taken a landscape, maybe even a still life, and then exploded it into a jumble of shapes. I find her reductive approach to mark making so interesting; the whole thing is built from stark black and white shapes, like a puzzle made of shadows. Look at how she balances the composition across the two panels. The textures feel almost collaged, even though it's a print. Each mark feels deliberate, yet playful. I am particularly drawn to the cluster of shapes in the top left corner of the left panel; how they create a sense of depth and movement. It reminds me a little of some of Picasso’s Cubist work. It captures the feeling of a landscape, not by imitation, but through an accumulation of disassembled forms, capturing not just what we see, but how we piece it together in our minds.