It’s great to have artist Benny Sanders back at the Harrison Center after his latest sojourn to the American Southwest! Of course he painted many beautiful plein air pieces of deserts and mountains, but today we’re focused on the work that is hanging in the City Gallery during the month of April.

Before leaving Indiana last October, Benny was commissioned to paint portraits of the well loved Greatriarchs of the Martindale Brightwood neighborhood. (If you are not familiar with the Greatriarchs, refer to the Harrison Center webpage that describes their role in our community.) So, Benny packed up his paints and his reference photos and headed to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he rented an apartment and got to work. The result of his efforts is a collection of delightful portraits of these wonderful people.

When I spoke with Benny, I had to ask the obvious question about this work. Hasn’t this been done before? After all, Harrison Center Artist in Residence Abi Ogle created what have become almost iconic portraits of these beloved residents a few years ago. The images that she made in 2018 and 2019 are striking and thoughtful portrayals. They are still available to us in the halls of the Harrison Center, and they’ve hung on billboards and on the sides of buildings. So where could Benny go with this assignment that is different than what we’ve seen?

I love the experience of seeing different artists interpret the same theme or scene, because no two artists will embrace what they see in identical ways. This is what makes art so amazing, expressive and important to the voice of our culture. The subjects of these paintings are fascinating and inspiring people. As Benny would say, “They deserve to have many portraits painted of them.”

These two collections are completely different representations of each of the Greatriarchs and they portray each in important ways. Abi’s enormous paintings were designed to be fabulous, public celebrations of each person as if she were hosting a parade in their honor. Benny’s works are another side to the same proverbial coin.

The most obvious difference between these works is their size. The size of the work is an indicator of the artist’s intention. Each of Benny’s portraits are only 11”x14”. When an artist creates a smaller work, the outcome is intimacy with the viewer. One has to come closer to the piece in order to appreciate its details. It’s a metaphor for our relationships and communication in general. When we create smaller pieces, we are inviting the viewer to come closer and to consider the subject more personally.

Each of Benny’s portraits features a backdrop of his trademark old fashioned five pointed stars which he has used for portraits in the past. He has assigned a symbolic color for each of the Greatriarchs which represents aspects of each one’s personality. These portraits are warm, personal, loving expressions of who each is on a closer level. Through them, we are introduced to each Greatriarch as a friend and neighbor, and as someone we could have a cup of coffee and chat with.

As someone who has lived in this area of Indianapolis for basically his entire life, Benny is
personally invested in the way neighbors are seen and understood. His paintings warmly reflect his respect and appreciation for each and the contributions they have made to this community throughout their lives.

Greatriarchs: Local Stars