Vagrant 1938

Benton Spruance made this lithograph, Vagrant, using a crayon to create a range of grey tones and textures. You can see how the crayon is dragged across the surface of the stone, creating a really subtle yet tangible sense of depth. The surface has this kind of all-over granular quality to it. Like the whole thing has been lightly sandpapered. Look closely at the marks around the figure’s face, particularly the hatched shadows that create the impression of three-dimensionality. Those marks aren’t just descriptive, they’re also expressive! You can sense the artist circling around the task of creating form in front of us. The bag at the figure’s feet has the initials B.S. on it. The artist’s initials? Spruance’s work reminds me a bit of George Bellows, another artist who embraced the potential of lithography as a medium for social commentary. What’s interesting is how both these artists used their skills to create a sense of ambiguity, asking questions about the world rather than providing simple answers.