American Art Collaborative

The young Texas artists in the Allied Arts Exhibition of 1935 demonstrated a marked independence from the prevailing dogma of American Scene painting, abstracting and personalizing their vision rather than adhering to certifiably "American" styles and narrative themes. In "Swollen Stream," Spruce captures the violence of a Texas spring storm, using clashing angular and spiral forms and a palette of dark, lurid greens. By taking his shapes and colors beyond natural appearances, the artist expresses the emotional effect of nature in its resurgent season.