Benton Murdoch Spruance (American, 1904-1967) – ‘Ecclesiastes – Expressionist ‘Essay 2’ Figurative Study, Signed (1945, Framed)

Benton Murdoch Spruance (American, 1904-1967) – ‘Ecclesiastes – Essay 2’ Figurative Study, Signed (1945, Framed). Figurative lithograph housed under glass in a black wood frame. Archival matte. Signed, dated, and titled in pencil on the bottom of print. #3 from an edition of 30. Original framers label en verso. In good condition with wear and toning consistent with age. A few areas of foxing on the matte. Frame has scratches and scuffs. Please refer to pictures for details.

Size: 20.5 x 26 in

A pioneer in color lithography, Benton Spruance spent most of his life in Philadelphia, where he attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and became one of the city’s leading artists. In the twenties and thirties Spruance was known for prints that one critic described as his “velvety urban scenes and ‘social conscious’ series,” which chronicled the life of ordinary men and women at work and play. However, Spruance was also a painter and draftsman who during this period took advantage of two Guggenheim fellowships to travel throughout the United States and Europe and sketch landscapes.

In the forties Spruance began producing moody, psychologically charged lithographic portraits of women, followed by mystically tinged work, based on biblical passages, that became increasingly subtle and sculptural in effect. Despite the demand for his work (he produced more than 500 lithographs during his career), Spruance continued to teach. At the time of his death, he was chairman of the art department at Beaver College and had recently retired from the chairmanship of the printmaking department at Philadelphia College of Art.

National Museum of American Art