Jim Dine The Little Heart in a Landscape 1991 Signed Etching Edition of 100

Artist: Jim Dine
Title: The Little Heart in a Landscape
Medium: Soft-Ground Etching and Power Tool Abrasion with Red Moriki Chine Colle on Hahnemuhle Paper
Image Size: 10.125" x 12.5"
Frame Size: 18.5" x 19.5"
Edition: One of 25 Artist Proofs, created in addition to standard edition of 100
Inscription: Initialed, dated, and marked "A.P." on bottom front margin
Year: 1991
Documentation: Gallery Certificate of Authenticity

"The Little Heart in a Landscape" (1991) by Jim Dine presents a prominent red heart set against a black-and-white landscape of plants and trees. The work employs soft-ground etching and power tool abrasion, combined with red Moriki Chine Colle on Hahnemuhle paper, merging precise intaglio techniques with experimental surface manipulation. The vivid red heart provides a bold focal point, contrasting with the intricate monochromatic environment and exemplifying Dine's long-standing engagement with symbolic imagery.

This work is one of 25 artist's proofs, created in addition to the standard edition of 100. Along with the "A.P." marking, the bottom lower margin also bears Jim Dine's initials and the date. The image measures 10 1/8" × 12 1/2", and the framed work measures 18 1/2" × 19 1/2". The piece includes a gallery certificate of authenticity from Modern Artifact. "The Little Heart in a Landscape" exemplifies Dine's meticulous attention to technique and his sustained exploration of symbolic imagery.

About Jim Dine

Jim Dine is an American artist recognized for his significant contributions to postwar contemporary art, particularly within the Pop Art movement. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Dine studied at the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning before establishing himself in the New York art scene in the late 1950s. He is widely known for his multidisciplinary practice, which spans painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, and performance, reflecting a persistent exploration of personal symbolism, everyday objects, and the human figure.

Dine first gained attention as part of the early Pop Art movement, alongside contemporaries such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Claes Oldenburg. However, unlike many of his peers, Dine's work often merges Pop sensibilities with deeply personal and expressive content. He is particularly recognized for recurring motifs such as hearts, robes, tools, and bathrobes, which function as both iconic imagery and intimate symbols reflecting memory, identity, and emotion.

Throughout his career, Dine has consistently emphasized the materiality and process of art-making. His paintings and prints often combine vigorous brushwork, collage, and found objects, while his sculptures explore scale, texture, and the transformation of everyday items into monumental forms. His work demonstrates a continuous dialogue between abstraction and representation, combining visual lyricism with conceptual rigor.

Dine has exhibited widely in major museums and galleries worldwide, and his works are held in prominent public and private collections. His enduring influence lies in his ability to merge the universal and the personal, bridging Pop Art with Expressionist tendencies, and continually reinterpreting familiar objects to reveal new emotional and conceptual resonances.