On Benson

This entry, the third in a series of art history posts, is a tribute to Frank Weston Benson, a truly great American artist (1862-1951). Benson was born in Massachusetts to a wealthy family from Salem. He studied art in Boston and Paris, and quickly became a well known portraitist and muralist. He was famous for his seaside portraits of his family on summer vacations in Maine, and the murals he painted for the Library of Congress.

Benson’s career is like the mirror image of Winslow Homer’s. Whereas Homer started off as a lithographer and illustrator and later moved to watercolors and oils, Benson became famous first for his Impressionist paintings, and then had a second, just as profitable career with etching. I’ve included a few of my favorite of his etchings, which mostly depict hunting scenes from his cabin in Cape Cod.

Winter Wildfowling, etching, 1927

Marsh Gunner 1925

One fun fact about Benson is that in the 1890s he joined a group called “The Ten”, which is probably the most badass group of artists in American history. “The Ten” broke away from the Society of American Artists because of their hostility to Impressionism which was making its way over from France. The group included the most famous American Impressionists of the time, and almost became “The Eleven”, except Winslow Homer turned down his invitation.

Duck Blind 1925

Running the Rapids 1927

My favorite thing about these works is the contrast. His use of negative space is genius, and the amount of detail he captures within even the darkest parts of the composition blows my mind. Notice the tiny highlights on the backlit figures. It turns them from anonymous silhouettes into characters with depth. Anyways, I hope you enjoy looking at these. I have them printed out at my office. Maybe someday I’ll find an original.

Deer Hunter 1924