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

This abstract painting by Perle Fine from the "Cool" series, is a soft-hued rectangle hovering within another. It’s like a gentle whisper of color. Imagine Fine, brush in hand, layering those greens, one over the other. Thin layers of paint are built up to create a soft green frame. This isn’t about precision, but a feeling. It's a kind of back and forth; a conversation with the canvas. The pale pink rectangle at the top is like a memory. The painting has a quiet energy, a space to lose yourself in. Fine was part of the Abstract Expressionist movement, where the act of painting was as important as the final image. You can see the echoes of Rothko in her blocks of color. And there is also the flatness of Milton Avery. Painters are always in dialogue with each other across time, building on what came before, and pushing in their own direction. Ultimately, painting is an open-ended question, a space of possibilities where the artist can embrace ambiguity and uncertainty.