Stranger Whose Sail 1959

Benton Spruance made this lithograph, Stranger Whose Sail, using grease crayons and tusche washes to construct tonal layers and build a full composition from a single flat surface. Imagine the artist, Spruance, with his lithographic crayon in hand, applying his mark-making to the plate. It's a process of trial and error, a give and take between the artist and the stone. The figure emerges, a stranger perhaps, caught in a moment of intensity and quiet. The sail itself becomes a metaphor, doesn't it? A vessel of both protection and captivity. I see echoes of Kollwitz in the figure's strong presence, yet Spruance brings a distinctly American voice to the work. It’s like they're having a conversation across time. These images offer a way of thinking through seeing.