The Refugees

Size: F15, 65cm × 54cm, ~26″ x 22″
Media: Brush, Oil paint on Canvas
Date: Completed May 18, 1975
Where: Painted in Fayence, France
Signature: “benson”
Currently: In the family collection

After the success of her first left handed effort, ‘Child of Vietnam‘, and the continuing news of the refugee crisis in Vietnam, my mother decided to paint a larger follow up painting, The Refugees. We can read in the diary entries how interested my mother was in the results she was getting from painting with her non dominant hand. So despite the pain and discomfort in her injured right wrist, she persisted in her endeavors.

While I can see the attractiveness of the “rougher texture” of this painting compared to her usual style, I think it lacks the spontaneity of her first left handed painting, Child of Vietnam. Interestingly, if you look at her third left handed painting, the Red Turban, you can how her technique had almost improved to such an extent that it is very similar to her other paintings, much to her own annoyance.

Diary Entries

April 27, 19752 hrs drawing in with left hand on “Refugees” Also wanted to try larger painting of mother and child with left hand, found it v. difficult.
April 28, 19751.5 hrs refugees left hand, the painting went quite well but my left arm and shoulder gets tired.
April 29, 19752 hrs refugees left handed – mother’s head. It’s so strange – I paint with my left hand and produce the looser style I have always admired and never achieved! Maybe this is a breakthrough? Later when my wrist is better I can draw & mix with the right hand but apply the paint with my left to get the rougher texture & looser style.
April 30, 19752 hrs refugees left hand – baby. Ligaments swollen again in hand and wrist must have tagged at the blankets in the night. Painful. Dr. Claude Boursin tightly strapped wrist and arm and said don’t use it for a week!
May 1, 19752 hrs refugees purple tunic. In news 70,000 refugees at sea in small boats. Ligaments and tendons still swollen. Successful pushing around of paint on mother’s tunic, though looked hopeless at start.
May 2, 19751.5 hrs refugees.
May 3, 19752.5 hrs left hand painting ‘Refugees’. Grand Prix de Rome Diploma D’onore! Three paintings which won this prize, lady in the Retour de Sources and L’Espérance plus Maestracci. I’ve won a ‘diploma d’onore’ in the Grand Prix fr Rome! A lovely parchment one. An international exhibition, comment in Italian newspaper “Benson has the purity of a consummate artist”!
May 4, 19752 hRs ‘Refugees’ small figures. Dabbed in small figures fairly successfully with left hand as per. Jake Van Theil (Dr Raymaker’s sister) bought two Dutch ladies to see me and work. One, just back from Peru fell in love with the ‘Unicorn’ painting and asked for a photo of it then blushed with embarrassment – I gave her two small ones. V. nice people.
May 7, 19752 hrs ‘Refugees’ fiery sky. V. depressed in a.m. wrist aching and felt tired all day. …… Didn’t make the bed or wash up – painted sky instead. Was caught out later as Margie and Kathleen came and had tea.
May 8, 1975Margarita came and shopped for me and hung returned paintings. I was happy to see Margarita – she bought me another saga to read. We were able to catch up on news – and I found out that ‘they’ (Jane, Bayliss, Schultz & Co) all think…… that my left hand painting is better than my right normal hand ones!!
May 11, 1975Benny arrives Nice airport
May 15, 1975Benny departed
May 18, 19753 hrs ‘Refugees’ finished in 20 hours. My 2nd left hand painting 26″ x 22″ ‘THE REFUGEES’.

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Anthony

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