SPRUANCE, Benton

In the early 1940s, Spruance was fascinated with musicians on stage, and the percussion section of the Philadelphia Orchestra inspired Arrangement for Drums. One drummer is about to clap the cymbals, another holds a drumstick above the bass drum, and another strikes the timpani. A series of eight preparatory drawings for the print illustrates how the artist simplified and flattened the forms, which are aligned on the frontal plane like a bas-relief (see Fine & Looney p. 11-13). The repetitive, interlocking shapes create a staccato rhythm befitting the musical subject. One of Spruance’s earliest attempts at color lithography, Arrangement for Drums was printed in black and pale green, the so-called tint stone, which creates a third white color. The tones and varying textures created with the lithographic crayon further enliven the surface.

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