Space Mask
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View on museum website →Medium
lithograph (stone) in black
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1953.6.122
Art Historical Context
**Space Mask** by Benton Murdoch Spruance created in 1952, is a compelling black lithograph on stone the National Gallery of Art Rosenwald Collection (CG-W Department). Spruance, a prominent American printmaker active in the mid-20th century, lithography as a medium for expressive, detailed imagery. This print exemplifies his technical skill, drawing on the traditional stone lithography process—where artists draw directly on limestone with greasy crayons or tusche, exploiting the stone's affinity for ink to produce rich tonal gradations and subtle textures unachievable in many other print meth...
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...