Tree and Rocks encapsulates the powerful forces—geographical and climatic—that have shaped the Texas landscape. The tree’s twisted limbs reflect its sustained struggle to gain a foothold in terrain that can at times be both uncompromising and inhospitable. Everett Spruce’s expressionistic treatment of the landscape conveys a sense of sadness and endurance intended to resonate on both a personal and a cosmic scale.

A native of Arkansas, Spruce was affiliated in the 1930s with the Dallas Art Institute and the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. He was a major figure in the Dallas Nine—the name given to a group of artists whose primary focus was the region’s people and landscape.

Excerpt from

Sue Canterbury, Label text, 2018.