Robert Benjamin’s photography exhibit in the Denver Art Museum is of 40 color prints and Polaroids that he created between 1984 and 2003. A majority of his photos are of his family. In his artist statement, he says that he hopes to show the beauty of every day life, which I agree is often taken for granted in today’s culture of always being on the go.
Overall, I was not very impressed by his work. Most of his photographs seemed very average to me and didn’t leave me with the urge to look twice. I could see how the photographs are meaningful to him, as the subjects of them are his loved ones. I thought that many of them were nice candids, but not worthy of being displayed in a nationally acclaimed art museum. I appreciate the fact that his intentions with his work are not to please anybody but himself, but then I don’t understand why his work would be on display for others to view. He admits that he believes his subject matter is no longer tolerable in art as many photographers these days are trying to capture scandal and violence, but I think that many artists are also trying to capture other things in life like the beauty of nature, for instance, and in more visually interesting ways.
I thought that his strongest photo was of his daughter through the glass window of a vehicle. I am not sure how he printed the photograph but it appeared as though he superimposed multiple images, which created beautiful chromatic relationships and a timeless and magical ambience.
I also thought the colors and his work with depth of field were also strong in some of his other photographs, like the one of his daughter drinking a green Italian soda. Overall, I thought his photographs were not very visually interesting to me, but that the concept behind his work, which is to cherish family and the beauty in everyday and seemingly ordinary moments, is indeed inspiring.
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