Lost Shells
1985
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
hand-painted watercolor on etching, with drypoint, and power-tool drypoint on wove paper
Dimensions
sheet: 76.2 × 52.71 cm (30 × 20 3/4 in.) plate: 56.83 × 45.4 cm (22 3/8 × 17 7/8 in.) overall size: 76.2 × 105.73 cm (30 × 41 5/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of the Artist
Accession Number
2014.11.46
Art Historical Context
Jim Dine’s *Lost Shells* (1985) exemplifies the artist’s lifelong fascination with everyday objects and natural forms as vessels for personal expression. A prominent figure in the Pop Art movement, Dine often infused his prints with poetic, autobiographical undertones. Here, the title and imagery of shells suggest themes of memory, transience, and discovery, rendered through an inventive combination of traditional and unconventional printmaking methods. The work’s technical complexity highlights Dine’s experimental approach. He layered hand-painted watercolor over an etching and drypoint plat...
About the Artist
Jim Dine
Jim Dine, born James Lewis Dine on June 16, 1935, in Cincinnati, Ohio, grew up in a family of Eastern European Jewish immigrants who owned a hardware store, where he spent much time surrounded by tools that would later become central motifs in his art. After his mother's death at age 12, he largely cared for himself, fostering an early independence. Dine attended Walnut Hills High School and took ...