Texas Made Modern: The Art of Everett Spruce

Everett Spruce was a significant painter and teacher in Texas who fought for greater recognition for Texas art and artists. He taught at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts and the University of Texas at Austin, influencing many Texas artists. The Texas Made Modern: The Art of Everett Spruce exhibition explores his artistic evolution, from experimental to abstract expressionist, and resituates his artwork within the broader narrative of American art.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 224 pages
\n Publication date: 30 October 2020
\n Publisher: Texas A & M University Press
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Everett Spruce, a renowned painter and educator, left his Arkansas home in 1925 to pursue his studies at the Dallas Art Institute. Over the course of the next seven decades, he emerged as one of the most influential figures in the region's art scene. Spruce was a member of the Dallas Nine, a group of influential Texas Regionalists that included Jerry Bywaters, Otis Dozier, William Lester, and others. As part of this group, he actively advocated for a more significant role for Texas art and artists in the Texas Centennial Exposition of 1936. Although these efforts were unsuccessful, they nevertheless brought about greater recognition and influence for Texas art and artists.

Spruce served as an assistant director and art instructor at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts until 1940, when he joined the faculty of the University of Texas at Austin. He remained at the university for the next 38 years, imparting his knowledge and expertise to the next generation of Texas artists. Among his students were Roger Winter, William Hoey, and many others who went on to achieve great success in their respective fields. Spruce passed away in 2002 at the age of 94.

Texas Made Modern: The Art of Everett Spruce delves into Spruce's artistic journey, spanning from his early experimental works of the 1920s to the enigmatic, surrealist-influenced landscapes of the 1930s. The book explores his bold expressionistic imagery of the 1940s and his abstract expressionist-inspired paintings of the mid-twentieth century. Contrary to previous accounts that categorize him as a typical regionalist, this study uncovers the intricate meanings behind Spruce's shifting approaches to Texas subject matter and re-contextualizes his artwork within the broader narrative of American art.

\n Weight: 1084g\n
Dimension: 240 x 263 x 23 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781623498887\n \n