Robert Gould Shaw Memorial c. 1973 - 2008

Richard Benson made this gelatin silver print of the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial. It looks like he was interested in the way the light could define the surface of the sculpture. What strikes me is the texture, captured so delicately by Benson’s process. Look at how the light catches on the folds of the allegorical figure above the troops, almost like brushstrokes. It's a conversation between the sculptor’s hand and Benson’s eye. He's not just documenting; he's interpreting. The subtle gradations of tone give the sculpture a ghostly presence. Think about how this image, like all art, keeps the conversation going. It invites us to reconsider what we think we know, finding new layers in familiar forms. There's something profound in that ambiguity, a space where meaning shifts and expands.