Untitled 1961

This untitled lithograph by Louis Bunce presents us with an intriguing puzzle of layered forms. I imagine Bunce carefully placing the black horizontal bars that anchor the composition, like a stage set. He then introduces these rocky, organic shapes hovering above. Are they floating in space, or are they solid forms casting shadows? Maybe he was thinking about the contrast between the geometric and the organic, or the interplay between positive and negative space. It’s like he’s inviting us to complete the image. These marks and colours are not just about representation; they’re about feeling, about texture, and about the physicality of the medium. Bunce is in conversation with a long history of artists who have explored the boundaries of abstraction and representation, pushing the limits of what painting can be. We are all constantly inspired by each other.