The Three Sydney Close Woodcuts 1983

Jim Dine made these woodcuts, ‘The Three Sydney Close Woodcuts’, with paper and ink. Each print is a single heart, worked over with these strong, gestural marks. The woodcut process lends itself to this kind of directness. You carve into the wood, and that mark is what you get – no blending, no softening. Look at the upper part of the heart on the left – you can see the energy of Dine’s hand as he cut into the block. He's not trying to trick you or create an illusion. You can practically feel the knife scraping away at the wood. It’s physical. It’s like he’s saying, "This is how it’s made, this is the process, raw and unfiltered." The German Expressionists like Kirchner and Heckel come to mind here. They weren't afraid to show the rough edges, to embrace the imperfections. Dine carries that torch, reminding us that art isn't about perfection, it's about expression.