Robert Gould Shaw Memorial c. 1973 - 2008

This is Richard Benson’s photograph of the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial. It’s a picture made from light, but it's as if Benson found a way to sculpt with it. Look closely, and you’ll see the incredible detail he coaxes from his printing process. Every fold in the soldier’s coats, the nervous energy in the horse’s eye, the rough texture of the stone, is rendered with such precision. There’s a sense of touch almost, as if you could feel the cold stone beneath your fingertips. But that’s the magic of photography, right? It captures something real, but transforms it into something else entirely. Benson was obsessed with printing techniques. He pushed the boundaries of what photography could do. He reminds me of Vija Celmins, another artist who obsesses over process, creating her photorealistic drawings. Both artists transform the mundane into something otherworldly. They remind us that art is always a conversation, an exchange of ideas. And that the meaning of art, like life, is always up for grabs.