Anabasis 1957

Editor: So, this is Benton Spruance’s lithograph, "Anabasis," created in 1957. The limited color palette gives it this ancient, almost faded quality. It feels like looking at a classical frieze. What draws your eye in terms of composition? Curator: Formally, observe how the artist structures the composition. Notice the juxtaposition of simplified forms with areas of detailed texture. The deliberate use of two contrasting colors divides the plane into solid, figural components and the amorphous space around the figures. How do these figures, framed against this landscape, convey their intended symbolic weight? Editor: I see what you mean about the contrasting colors creating distinct areas. The landscape seems almost secondary, acting more like a backdrop. Is the artist creating tension between these forms? Curator: Precisely. Semiotically, the foreground is readable as distinct forms whereas the landscape becomes almost indecipherable. Consider how that push and pull affects the overall reading. What is the effect of that tension in form and content? Editor: It’s as if the artist is using abstraction to express some quality of their figures’ character or plight. The semi-abstract landscape almost evokes emotion more intensely than a highly rendered scene would. I’m not sure what it expresses, though! Curator: Examine how Spruance uses positive and negative space. Where do your eyes travel and how does it influence your perspective and engagement with the figures and ground? The artist is not simply portraying, he is engaging us through composition. What, therefore, do we do with this "engagement"? Editor: That’s helpful, understanding that I should question how the artwork's engagement impacts me, to extract something meaningful. Thank you for that! Curator: One learns to value, then evaluate. Then the meanings proliferate.