Incredible Speed 1963

John Hultberg made this lithograph, Incredible Speed, using black ink to conjure a world of mechanical abstraction. Look at the planes of light and dark, how they crash into each other like tectonic plates grinding together, it’s about forces. The textures here are key. The ink seems almost velvety in places, dense and opaque, while elsewhere, Hultberg coaxes out delicate, almost translucent washes, especially noticeable in the sweeping diagonal that dominates the upper center. Notice how the surface is activated by these contrasts. The layering of marks, the smudges, the way the ink catches on the paper, all contribute to this feeling of dynamic movement. See how he allows the material qualities of the lithographic process to shine through? Hultberg’s work reminds me a little of Piranesi's etchings of impossible prisons, these artists share a fascination with spatial ambiguity. They create worlds that are simultaneously exhilarating and unsettling, places where the ground is always shifting beneath your feet. Art is a conversation, it never stays still.