Robert Gould Shaw Memorial c. 1973 - 2008

This black and white photograph by Richard Benson captures a section of the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial. The image is deeply textural, with a palpable sense of weight and history. I imagine Benson, squinting through the lens, patiently coaxing light to reveal the monument’s carved surfaces. The men in this scene are not polished heroes but figures wrought from rough stone. Look at how their faces are etched with determination, their bodies pressed together, shouldering forward. Each carries the weight of history, of struggle, and collective will. There’s a painterly quality to Benson’s photographic eye, almost as if he were sculpting the image himself. The grain of the stone feels like thick impasto. It reminds me how we, as artists, are always in conversation, even across mediums and generations. We’re all trying to translate something ineffable into form. Benson's photo invites us to feel the gravity of the monument and ponder the silent stories it holds.