Skyhawk, No.I 1965

Benton Spruance rendered this image of a skyhawk with graphite and gouache. The dynamic portrayal of the bird, its form captured in mid-motion, connects deeply with ancient symbols of freedom, power, and foresight. Consider the eagle in Roman iconography, a symbol of imperial authority and divine mandate, or even the hawk-headed Horus in ancient Egyptian lore, representing protection and royal power. Spruance's skyhawk channels these ancestral meanings, yet it also seems to reflect more contemporary anxieties. The hazy, almost spectral rendering of the bird might suggest a fragility, a vulnerability of power in a rapidly changing world. This is no triumphant, sharp-edged Roman eagle, but a creature struggling against the elements, its form dissolving into the very sky it dominates. Perhaps Spruance evokes a subconscious questioning of established power structures, hinting at their impermanence.