Self-Portrait at the Stone 1952

Benton Spruance made this self-portrait lithograph with crayon, tusche, and needle, pulling an image from a limestone matrix. The gradations of light and shadow give form to Spruance's face and clothing, and to the stark geometric shapes of the stone behind him. The surface is built through a process of accretion, each mark accumulating in relation to the previous. The stone has a heavily worked surface. You can really see, feel almost, the grit of the lithographic crayon as it pulls across the page. Spruance’s suit has an almost liquid quality. The subtle modulations in tone are so soft, they bleed one into the other. Look at the almost ethereal rendering of his hands. There is a similar attention to tonal variation in the work of Whistler. Both artists embrace the ambiguity inherent in their chosen medium. And both demonstrate how art opens a space for reflection, and a conversation with artists that spans across time.