Anabasis 1957

Benton Spruance created this print, Anabasis, with lithographic crayon, creating tonal variations with the pressure of the crayon on the plate. There's a dreamlike quality, isn't there? The pale yellow washes over everything, making the scene feel both ancient and ephemeral. The composition is packed with figures on horseback, but their forms are barely there, like ghosts fading into the light. Look closely, and you'll see how the artist builds up the image with layers of crayon, creating depth and texture. It reminds me a little of Odilon Redon, that same interest in the oneiric and the symbolic, but grounded in a very physical and process-driven approach to artmaking. What I love most is how the ambiguity invites you to fill in the gaps, to project your own stories and interpretations onto the scene. Art isn't about answers, it's about asking questions.