This week I went to the Harvard Art Museums. Here, I found many interesting pieces from many different artists. I enjoyed looking at the sculptures from ancient Greece and the paintings from decades ago. I enjoy how the museums are set up with different styles of art on the different levels of the galleries. One piece in the museum I really enjoyed was an etching by Jim Dine. This American artist created the piece, Five Paintbrushes (First State), in 1972. In the mid-1960’s, pop art and the depiction of products was extremely common. I like this piece because it is simple but it has a lot of detail at the same time. Paintbrushes are a simple tool and are commonly seen. Taking such a usual object and depicting it through etching is what makes this work so interesting to me. It is simple in concept but the detail captured in the print is extraordinary. Each hair of the brushes is defined and detectable from up close. The black print on the off-white paper accents the simplicity of the image while allowing the detail to be visible. I enjoy the set-up and location of the paintbrush based on their width and I can appreciate the negative space left between each brush. Overall, I am very attracted to this piece by Jim Dine and it inspires me to use the balance of simplicity and detail in my own work.