Spruce Clearing #2 1957

"Spruce Clearing #2" is a color woodcut made by George Bunker in 1957. The mid-20th century was a period of significant social change, marked by both optimism and anxiety, particularly after WWII. Bunker, a white male artist working at this time, presents a scene deeply connected to nature, a theme often explored as a means of solace. The print uses an array of warm colors and abstract shapes to depict a clearing in a spruce forest. The composition, with its fragmented forms, evokes a sense of both harmony and disruption. There is an emotional tension between the chaotic arrangement of shapes and the serene, grounding presence of the trees. Bunker’s abstraction may mirror the shifting perspectives and anxieties of his time. It invites us to reflect on our relationship with the natural world. How we seek refuge and find beauty amidst change. In essence, the artwork becomes a space where the personal and the political intersect through the lens of nature.