Shirley Gorelick sought to achieve psychological depth in her portraiture, frequently painting longtime friends and family members. She is known for creating sensitive depictions of subjects not traditionally represented in large-scale portraiture, including those with disabilities and those of middle and advanced age.

Lee and Eugenia “Gunny” Benson, close friends of Gorelick and her husband, were frequently featured in the artist’s work. The two couples shared socially progressive views, regularly socialized, and spent summers together on Cape Cod. Over the course of their decades-long friendship, Gorelick created many portraits of Gunny, documenting her struggle with muscular dystrophy and its effects on her life and relationship.

In The Bensons II, Gorelick portrays the couple seated close together, with Lee in a cushioned, wooden armchair and Gunny in a wheelchair. As one art historian has noted, Gorelick’s decision to depict Lee seated “lessens the impact of Gunny’s wheelchair.” Consequently, this is less a portrait of disability than it is a depiction of how disability has touched this couple’s life.

Gunny is smartly dressed in neat, colorful clothing and chic jewelry, her hair worn in a fashionable, slightly feathered style. By contrast, Lee’s rumpled clothing and five-o’clock shadow may reflect the fatigue of caring for his wife while pursuing a successful academic career. Their close bond, however, is evident. Captured in this calm, unguarded moment, the couple hold hands and incline their heads slightly toward one another.