Hilter’s U-Boat Treasure 1972

Mort Künstler made this painting called Hilter’s U-Boat Treasure, and well, that title says a lot! The monochromatic palette is a jumping-off point to imagine the murky, cold, underwater world. You can almost smell the salt. Look at the muscular divers rendered in meticulous detail. Every ripple of their bodies contrasts with the grainy texture of the wreck. The artist’s hand is apparent in the tonal variations, applied so smoothly you can barely see the brushstrokes. It’s a process concealing process! The painting is so clean it's hyper-real, but also… kind of fake? It reminds me of those heroic paintings that Norman Rockwell made, but with an erotic charge – maybe like Eric Stanton but underwater! This piece leaves us adrift in the ambiguities between history and fantasy, daring and desire.