Arrangement for Drums 1941

Benton Spruance made this lithograph, with shades of grey and textured areas that almost vibrate in their tonal contrast. Imagine him working on the stone, building up forms and patterns like the different parts of a drum kit coming together. I wonder what it was like for Spruance to create this composition? Maybe he was thinking about how each mark changes the space, how shapes emerge and recede through light and shadow, how the eye travels through the arrangement like a rhythmic sequence. Look at the round drum in the upper left corner—the light seems to radiate from its center! And notice the sharp zigzag line on the upper left that gives a feeling of percussion. Spruance’s “Arrangement for Drums” reminds me of other abstract artists who play with rhythm and form. It makes you think of how much artists talk to each other across time, and how we keep finding new ways to express ourselves.