Soliloquy: Vanity of Decision

 

Benton Murdoch Spruance

  1904 - 1967 (biography)

1949  

lithograph 

18 3/4 x 13 1/16" image size 

pencil signed and initialed "PBS" by artist's son, Peter, in lower right (beneath signature) 

Ed 30 (impression number not stated) 

pencil titled, dated, and editioned; artist's estate stamp "BS" in lower right beneath signature; numbered "275" beneath signature (possibly referring to the cataloge number for the secondary image of the same name). Registration cross marks in upper and  

Spruance 274, illustrated p. 176 

antique-white Rives wove 

published 

artist 

22866 

$1,000.00 

A young woman stands beside a window in a posture of hesitation, one arm wrapped around her middle, one halfway extended as if to illustrate hesitance. She is softly illuminated by the light coming through the window and she seems lost in thought. She is making a decision, and appears to be discussing with herself how to plan the best path forward.

“Soliloquy: Vanity of Decision” explores the role of ego in making major life decisions, in how to merge the self with the world. The majority of the woman’s posture suggests self-protection while her extended, open palm suggests that she is weighing the merits of pursuing something that takes her out of her comfort zone. Whether intentional or not, Spruance’s figure in this lithograph becomes a symbol of the beauty of youth and of having time to jump, fall, and recover.

"Soliloquy: Vanity of Decision" was part of a series of lithographs entitled "Vanity I: Vanity of the Mind", and included another version of this image printed in colors, as well as "Fallen Angel: Vanity of Disagreement", "Of Course He Will Come: Vanity of Hope", "Set Pieces: Vanity of Trust", and "I'll Be What I Choose: Vanity of Ambition", all printed in 1949. Spruance often didn't sign his prints until they were sold; as such, his wife, Winnifred, and then his two sons, Peter and Stephen, would sign, annotate, initial and stamp the prints themselves after his death.