Untitled 1961

Louis Bunce made this untitled print using lithography, embracing the magic that can happen when you surrender control to the process. The composition is bold, almost confrontational, with its stark black and white palette. The lithographic crayon must have been applied with real gusto to create this dense network of marks. Look at the textural variety; areas of solid, velvety black contrast with delicate, scratchy lines. It’s a real push and pull between light and dark, absence and presence. Notice the way Bunce allows certain forms to emerge and then dissolve back into the background. The areas of frenetic mark making create a vibrating energy, and there’s a definite nod to artists like Franz Kline, who similarly embraced the power of gesture and the beauty of imperfection. Bunce’s print is a reminder that art is not about perfection but about exploration and the joy of discovery.