Space Mask 1952

Benton Spruance made this lithograph, Space Mask, at some point in his career. I love the marks he’s making: they’re so direct, like he’s really digging into the stone, one line at a time. You can feel the physical work of the artmaking in every scratch. The material aspect of the work is all about texture. It has a scratchy, almost abrasive quality, doesn't it? The density of the marks in the boy's shirt and mask contrast with the lighter touch on the older person's face, creating depth. Look at the way Spruance renders the hands, those elongated fingers and the lines of the palm. There is a starkness to it, a kind of rawness that's really compelling. Spruance's work reminds me a bit of Käthe Kollwitz, especially in the way he uses line to convey emotion. Both artists have a way of capturing the weight of the world, the human condition, with such sensitivity. It’s a reminder that art doesn't need to be pretty to be profound. It embraces the ambiguity, the questions, the things we can't quite put into words.