Research - Dr. James Benson
Dr. James Benson
Department of Fine Arts
Currently Dr. Benson is preparing for an exhibition entitled "Lot's Wife" focusing on a series of figurative sculptures of various sizes. The larger pieces are enlargements of the smaller ones. While in production, he came to see that the process of enlarging a small maquette by traditional means allows for unforeseen creative possibilities. There is often significant opportunity to make subtle changes to the enlargement that were not apparent in its smaller version. Creative choices are involved at both the maquette and enlarged stages of creating the series. He sees himself as an artist who is a subordinate worker in a collective process. From this perspective, Dr. Benson is examining what creative opportunities, if any, a student might have if given the task of enlarging one of his maquettes. He has begun to research the work of other artists who have relied on apprentices.
Dr. Benson is interested in examining the visual evidence of any variations between some of Henry Moore's maquettes and the enlargements done by Moore's apprentices. This study is intended to determine the degree of variation between Moore's maquettes and their enlarged versions with the aim of coming to understand the degree of individual creative initiative Moore permitted his apprentices in the enlarging process. In doing so, Dr. Benson hopes to come to a better understanding of the relationship between the artist and the apprentice which will inform the context of the relationship between himself and his students (the focus of his PhD dissertation). He intends to employ a student apprentice, with a view to understanding the creative parameters of the relationship with his student/apprentice in the task of enlarging several of his pieces for the exhibition entitled "Lot's Wife."
