The B.B. Washington Under Attack, paperback cover 1972

Mort Künstler made this paperback cover, The B.B. Washington Under Attack, and whew, is it intense! The mark-making here isn't trying to hide the process. You see the brushstrokes, the way he layers the reds and oranges to build this feeling of, like, overwhelming heat and chaos. It's a total process painting, even though it’s illustration. Look at the water, how it’s this roiling, almost volcanic, surface. And then these stark white plumes shooting up – these marks feel so gestural, like the paint was applied quickly, intuitively. The way the planes and the ship are rendered, they're almost dissolving into the fiery background, which, for me, makes the whole thing feel dreamlike. The colours don’t shy away from excess. It's like, how much drama can we pack into one image? Künstler’s love of drama reminds me of Albert Pinkham Ryder, with his moody seascapes. Both artists use paint to create these really intense, emotional atmospheres, even if their subject matter is worlds apart. Ultimately, it's not about the historical accuracy; it's about the feeling, the sheer visceral impact of the scene.