Anabasis 1957

Benton Spruance made ‘Anabasis’ with lithographic crayon and tusche wash, and already I can feel the possibilities that the printmaking process allows! The muted tones and ghostly figures remind me of a memory half-forgotten. Spruance layers these figures in such a way that they seem to emerge from the ground itself. I imagine him working on the lithographic stone, coaxing these apparitions into being through trial and error. This is the great thing about printing; you can go back to the matrix to rework. The soft surface, with its ghostly suggestions, becomes an invitation to viewers to bring their own stories and meanings to the work. For me, that is what painting is about. It is an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. Ambiguity is a gift!