Nero
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View on museum website →Medium
lithograph in tan and black
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1946.21.174
Art Historical Context
**Nero** Benton Murdoch Spruance, 1944 Lithograph in tan and black Created in 1944 amid the turmoil of World War II, *Nero* is a compelling lithograph by American printmaker Benton Murdoch Spruance (1904–1967). Spruance, known for his expressive and technically innovative prints, employed lithography—a planographic process relying on the repulsion of oil-based ink and water—to achieve rich tonal contrasts in just tan and black. This limited palette heightens the work's dramatic intensity, allowing subtle gradations that mimic drawing while enabling multiple impressions for wider dissemi...
About the Artist
Benton Murdoch Spruance
Benton Murdoch Spruance (1904–1967) was a Philadelphia native whose artistic journey began amid the city's architectural landscape. Born on June 25, 1904, he initially worked as a clerk in an architect's office while studying architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, where he taught himself graphic sketching. A scholarship brought him to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), foll...