Self Portrait, by Marvin Franklin,
image from The New York Times slide show
An article in this week’s The New York Observer caught my eye, about Marvin Franklin’s first art show, at the New York Transit Museum.
Franklin was a Metropolitan Transportation Authority track worker who was killed by a train on April 29, 2007, at age 55 and after 22 years of working the night shift. He and another track worker had gone to pick up a dolly on a track with non-functioning warning lights. Apparently, the train operator saw the men but couldn’t brake in time.
According to the Observer article, for ten years Franklin
boarded the F train in Jamaica every morning, after getting off work at 7 a.m., and sketched other passengers all the way to the Art Students League on 57th Street, where he produced watercolors, oils and etchings based on his sketches.
Franklin captured the loneliness of the subway at nighttime — vacant stares, heads tilted in sleep, a mother’s lap used as a pillow for her children’s heads. Franklin’s subjects were often the homeless, who sought shelter in the station. At one time, Franklin himself had been homeless.
A few things stood out to me from this story and the other links I found about the artist:
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Franklin sketched and painted what he knew. Check out the images of his work in this New York Times slideshow. It’s clear he was present each day. He captured detail and saw nuances so many of us miss or take for granted.
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Franklin devoted himself to art. He practiced regularly, building structure around his job and family and carrying his sketchbook everywhere he went. He was prolific in spite of the fact that he couldn’t afford to be a full-time artist; he produced hundreds of sketches and paintings.
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Franklin was compelled by something bigger than himself. According to the MTA website, Franklin said, “Art saved my life.” When he died, he was three years away from retirement. He had planned to live off his pension, teach art, and raise awareness about homelessness by exhibiting his work. His life was cut short yet his goal of putting a face to the homeless is coming to fruition. Several other exhibits of his work are planned.
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Finally, the story of Marvin Franklin raised for me all the fears I have — most irrational — about subways. The fact that they’re underground, the claustrophobic sense I get just thinking about them, how I dislike standing on a raised platform waiting for the train. I can’t help but think about how easy it would be to fall off or get pushed off. I also am amazed at how common subway deaths really are.
This story brought up so much for me. It described the artist’s way of life — not just Marvin Franklin’s, but most artists and writers and the way we constantly balance making a living and producing work. It hit home that you can’t wait until everything is ready or until you’re retired or you’ve moved all the obstacles out of the way. Marvin Franklin didn’t wait. He didn’t live in fear.
If you happen to be in Brooklyn, NY this month, you can catch the exhibit of Marvin Franklin’s art; it runs until March 30.
Other Links:
This self portrait is so full of emotion! 🙂
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Thank you for the post about Marvin Franklin and the additional links. What an inspirational story.
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Thank you for this, YB. He sounds like he was an amazing person.
This was also a good reminder to me about waiting for the right time.
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ybonesy, what a great post. I had not heard of Marvin Franklin. But that portrait – and I just checked out your slide show link to a few of his other images – what a fantastic artist. The detail he captures in his work.
Your insights about him are inspiring, too. He was planning to retire, but his life was cut short. This could happen to any of us. We don’t know when it will be our time to go. The great thing is that he didn’t wait to do his art – he took his sketchbook everywhere. And now we will have his great body of work, speaking for those who might be less able to speak for themselves. Especially the homeless.
I just commented on Scot’s blog about how I pass the homeless on the streets of my own city and sometimes don’t know what I can do to make a difference. Franklin has made a huge difference through his art.
I want to take time later to read your other links to Marvin’s life and work. When someone dies this suddenly, I always find myself asking – why? But it seems like a fruitless question.
Last night I went to a friend’s art opening over in Northeast. It was 1st Thursdays – once a month all the artists in the area show up and open their studios. Some show their work. We were sitting around in my friend’s studio at the end of the night, talking about art, and also some of the things you mention in your post: how we all have to make a living somehow, and find time to do our art. We can’t wait.
There are some there who are independently wealthy and can write or do their art full time. But for most of us, that’s not the reality. We have to figure out how to do both. That’s where what we’ve been taught about creating structure around our days is invaluable.
Liz and I looked at a studio in that building last night, and we might have come closer to finding one. I’ll keep you posted. If it works out, it might be another form of structure that gets put into place around our art and writing. I also liked the community aspect. We all just sat around talking about art and making a living. How do we do both?
Great post, yb.
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ybonesy – what a gift, this post is. This guy has a most acute way of relating head, posture and hands to convey the expression of exhausted commuters/workers in a most sympathetic manner. While he is highly skilled, his skill does not exist to be applauded for itself, but to highlight moving aspects of the human condition as he daily witnesses it. No “look at my work and see how clever I am” but “look about you, this is what life is like, if not for you, then some of your neighbours.” His art practice bears witness to the fact of art being a reflection of life – wherever an artist finds him/herself – that all circumstances contain possibility for an artist finding his/her own voice in the now, not in some uncertain future which may never arrive. Thanks for this post and the links. G
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I’m so glad that all of you also see the beauty in his work and life. I had never heard of him either, QM, but that short article first pulled me in because of the art, then I read he’d been killed by a train (whoa!), and then I start doing some research on him. I’d love to learn more. Mostly, though, it was so clear that he was making his art, making his living, making it all happen. Just like, as you say, your artist friends and you and I and so many others we know, including commenters here, are doing.
Great descriptions of his work, G. It does bear witness, doesn’t it? I couldn’t quite find the right term yesterday when I wrote this, but that’s very apt.
QM, I want to say that it’s really hard to figure out how to help the homeless who we see any time we get out into our cars or in the streets of the city. My oldest daughter has gotten to the point that she is really concerned each time we see someone with a sign on the corner. She begs me to give them some money. My sister-in-law keeps fresh water bottles in her car to hand out. I know these aren’t very meaningful ways to help, and I know I could be doing more. Your comment made me think about Dee’s recent urgings that I do something to help.
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Fabulous talent. Sad, sad circumstance.
The drawing of the man sleeping on the train seat, with the graffiti on the window…the tension in his body, the battle to stay warm
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/12/22/nyregion/thecity/20071223_DISPATCHES_SLIDESHOW_6.html
Thanks ybonesy.
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leslie, that one really stuck out for me, too. He really captures the details – not only of the person, but of everything around them.
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ybonesy, I pay attention to myself and my reactions when I pass the homeless on the street, at intersections. And I used to run into them a lot when I worked at a bookstore in downtown near Block E. I can’t help but think I should be doing more. But what?
We are all the same distance from the ditch. Any of us could find ourselves in that situation at any time. And how do we explain to kids that we live in the richest country in the world, and yet there are still people in situations where they find themselves homeless. Not easy conversations.
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No, they’re not, are they.
QM and leslie, I especially liked that one, too. Very solid. Compassionate. All his pieces are.
Hey, I keep looking at the self portrait. I think it’s reversed. It’s that way on the NYT slide show, too. The signature is on the opposite side and moving in the opposite direction as the other signatures. Isn’t that weird? It really seems to have great posture or position the way it is, though. Hmmm…
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Ybonesy – the self-portrait is maybe an etching, not sure, but it may be signed in the plate and that is why image may be reversed. The print of the one man lying, shivering on the bench may be a mezzotint and drypoint combination. It is a empathetic, moving image. This artist sure wears his hear on his sleeve, and in his images. G
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A moving post, yb. Franklin strikes me as an artist who will be explored after his death. Once someone is gone we realize how valuable they are.
His work and art inspire me to continue what I’m doing.
As far as subways go, I’m always leery of the third rail. I get so scared when my kids get close to the edge of the platform. I also hate being stranded in a tunnel for a long time. I feel so helpless.
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I just looked at the slideshow. He was honest yet tender in his observations, rendered with beauty.
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Great post yb
A great talent and story teller he was…and a sad loss. It was wonderful of you to share his life and work with us. The one that struck Leslie’s, QM’s and your mind was the same for me.
In this life, we have only the promise of this moment…all else is a gift…to make the most of. He did just that.
yb, In my search to find talented people to fill my little gallery, I’ve met Artists from all walks of life. Mothers, Fathers, Sons, Daughters…all trying to find some soundness of mind… through their art…in a world with little sanity left. The words “Art saved my life” makes much sense when I think about some of their stories… myself included.
I have friends that are not creative, but are wonderful, gifted people in their own uniquely special ways. But for me, creativity and the ability to “see” is such an important part of who I am, I would be lost without it.
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Thank you for the wonderful article. The portrait don’t allow doubt master’s hand. Yet what attracted me the most is your approach – while writing about the Marvin Franklin, you are thinking about us all. and thus go through the flat surface of the drawing into the essence of the fine arts.
Thank you once again
Peace and love
http://www.captains-bridge.blogspot.com
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yb: grace-filled. Period. Thank you.
Fear is my nemesis, particularly about my own art. “But Marvin Franklin didn’t wait. He didn’t live in fear.”
At the soup kitchen in the inner-city church I attend, Mary Lee Barker, a local artist and accomplished cellist, used to eat with the homeless and paint their portraits in watercolor. She would sell them and donate the proceeds to my church. One of those portraits — of 4-year-old Cozzetta — hangs in my living room.
Mary Lee Barker didn’t wait. She didn’t live in fear.
Speaking of cellists, I am reminded of the cellist of Sarajevo, Vedran Smailovic. Following the massacre of 22 innocent people outside a bakery, Smailovic would — for 22 days — dress in formal attire, as for a performance, and play his cello outside the bakery in memory of the victims. All around him mortars would explode and shells would fly. He continued to play, the sound of war his applause.
Vedran Smailovic didn’t wait. He didn’t live in fear.
How can we?
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(NOTE: Sharon sent images of paintings by the artist referred to in the comment. I tried to embed them but couldn’t; here are the links, though. Thanks, Sharon. They’re beautiful!)
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Sharonimo, the paintings are great. The first one is 4-year-old Cozzetta, right? And that’s the one hanging in your home? How about the second one? Same artist? The style is slightly different, which is why I ask.
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Tomas, you’re very welcome. Thanks for your comment. I’m glad you were inspired by Marvin Franklin as much as I was.
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Yes, the first image is Cozzetta — hanging in my home.
And aren’t you sweet about the second image? That’s actually a shot of ME I took on my MacBook and then added that weird effect! So yeah, not the same artist at all, but someone walking in her eloquent footsteps in my own lousy sneakers (to lift a phrase from Dorothy Parker). I’m trying to figure our how to use that second like that skull image you use to identify yourself in your posts — and the labyrinth image QM uses in hers. Sorry for the confusion.
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G, C, H — thanks for commenting on this post. (BTW, my use of first initials here reminds of one of my favorite books I read to my daughters as babies: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom — A told B and B told C, I’ll beat you up the coconut tree.) 8)
G, thanks for the etching explanation and the signature. That would make sense.
H, what a gift you’re giving to artists by inviting them to be a part of your gallery. I loved the one person I recently saw featured on your blog.
Your comment about how Franklin’s statement — “Art saved my life” — makes me think of something else. I’ve also heard writers credit writing for changing their lives.
Yet it was interesting…Natalie Goldberg said in her reading/book signing earlier this week that she discovered that nothing — not chocolate, not writing, not anything — can save her life.
Yet, I do think Art or Writing *can* save someone from something. In Franklin’s case, he moved from homelessness to having a home, a job, a purpose. But in the end, it didn’t save his life, did it?
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Oops, sorry Sharonimo. Do you want me to delete the second image? (I will if you want, although it is awfully cool) 8)
I think you have to have a wordpress.com username to be able to use that image as your avatar. You could set up a username (without the whole blog part), I believe. Just go to the WP link we have at the bottom of our sidebar and follow the dialog boxes, etc., as best you can. It’s not always easy navigating through any of these systems.
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Hey, I just looked real closely at your special effect self-photo, and it’s really cool! I love the colors. 8)
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You nailed it here:
“you can’t wait until everything is ready or until you’re retired or you’ve moved all the obstacles out of the way”
I can’t count the times I’ve not written something because I’ve found other things to do. I’ll look at my laptop. get ready to hit the Word button, and then think of some menial task I simply *must* do before I write. And then there’s another task that needs doing, and then . . . the monotony of the unimportant oppresses me and it’s discouraging.
Thanks for your portrait and profile of Martin. I was familiar with his story, but your posts brought out a side of him I didn’t know existed.
Inspiring indeed.
Brian
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Sharonimo, the image you are thinking of using for your avatar is quite cool. I love it. And ybonesy’s right – you have to go sign up for a WordPress account to be able to download an avatar. BUT you can just sign up as a User and not to start a blog.
Some of our other readers (who don’t have blogs or want to have their own blog) might want to download an avatar as well. I’ve never tried to sign in as just a User – but I think you can still upload an avatar as a User Only.
Here’s the simplest way:
1) Go to the link http://wordpress.com/signup/
2) Add your Username, password, email address (keep in mind that your email address will not be seen by anyone EXCEPT those whose blogs you comment on. So be aware – if you comment on a blog, the blog owners will be able to see your email address (but no one else will).
3) At the bottom of the page, choose, Just a Username, please.. Then hit Next.
That’s where I’m not sure where it takes you as a User Only. I’m assuming you will set up a Profile. For ybonesy and I, we set up our avatars (photos that appear by our names) under:
1) My Profile (after you set up the User name)
2) My Picture
3) Upload Avatar (keep in mind, you need a clear image scan or photo). I think it gives you the ability to crop the image. But, for me, I had to size the whole image down because I didn’t want a cropped version.
4) It requires Contact info like email address, your blogging name, and you can add a website address so that it automatically downloads each time you comment and links to your own website.
I assume all that’s the same for becoming a WordPress User (without a blog). As with all things computer based, you just have to experiment with it until you get it right. It took ybonesy and I a while to learn the in’s and out’s (we are still learning).
Good luck! It would be great to see avatars by some of our regular commenters who don’t have their own blogs (and there are many like R3, diddy, oliverowl, Mom, GritsInPa, Sinclair, reccos64, and many more). Hope it all works out.
P.S. If that doesn’t work to set up an Avatar under just a User Name Only, you can always choose to say Gimme a blog! and just make it Private so no one can see it but you. That is a good way to get to know the behind the scenes stuff about blogging without having a public blog.
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QM — you are generous to take so much time to provide the avatar details. I’ll check it out. Technology intimidates me (one of my fear issues), so I don’t know how far I’ll get before I retreat. If you see my avatar soon, you’ll know I succeeded. Thanks much.
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Testing, testing. I followed QM’s instructions.
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HMMMMM. That ain’t the image I plugged into “My profile.” Fear rises.
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Sorry for all the posts. Apparently, one must wait a bit before the avatar emerges glorious. Thanks for your forbearance.
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yb ~ This post touched my heart…the story and the messages.
Especially this sentence:
“Franklin sketched and painted what he knew. ”
I think creating from “a place of knowing” brings forth the purest and most moving work. That energy remains in the creations…far beyond the artist’s time in this world.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful artistic soul with us! I will look up all the links.
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Bravo, sharonimo!!! It looks great.
You cropped it. If you wanted more of the image to show, you need to resize it as close to the avatar box size (which is something like 80×80) as possible before pulling it into the avatar box. Just something you can play with.
I like it cropped, though, so I’m not suggesting you change it.
QM, that was generous of you to put the entire set of instructions for users. It’s great to see an image next to sharonimo’s name. I would love to see avatars next to everyone else’s names.
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Thanks, gyspy-heart. That really struck me, how for Franklin, work was so much more than just putting in time.
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Thank-you , is all I can say for you heartfelt comments about my husband Marvin Franklin. My mantra to all is “to live your dreams now” no matter how small and insignant they may be to others, only you matter, fulfilling your life as Marvin did.
Peace and love to all
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Thank *you* for stopping by and sharing with us your mantra. Your husband’s life was an inspiration, something we can all strive to be in our lives.
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Please excuse my misspellings, your comments brought tears of joy to my eyes and especially my heart.
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Tenley, it’s a real pleasure to have you comment. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us. It means so much. And thanks to our readers for sharing from the heart.
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What an honor to read this exchange with Tenley M. Jones-Franklin. Your husband inspired so many people to bring out what Lincoln called our “better angels.” Just know that Marvin’s beautiful soul now rises glorious on a new and brighter dawn.
yb and QM: you are doing the work of grace.
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Let me also thank you, Mrs. Jones-Franklin, for stopping in and sharing in our celebration of your husband’s life and legacy.
We are honored and humbled . . .
BT
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I know this thread is from a long time ago, but I just felt like posting. I only recently re-read the American Artist Drawing article about Marvin. I’ve read even more since then online. I just keep thinking about him, and his story. This is the most recent online discussion about him that I have found, but I haven’t finished searching the web for stuff.
His work is amazing, and he was an amazing person. I don’t understand why bad things happen to good people. My heart breaks for Tenley. For me the story is still new, although the world lost him in 2007. I wish a guardian angel would have pulled him out of the way. I wish the safety lights in that tunnel would have been working. I mean, what a rip. I think it’s ridiculous that subway workers have to work in such dangerous conditions. And what a terrifying way to go. God love him.
Putting my anger on pause now…
I love his work. The line drawings are so lovely, so strong in execution and so powerful in subject matter. I wish I could see more. I could really learn from him by just studying his work. I understand he has numerous sketchbooks filled. I find that inspiring beyond words. I wonder if anyone will ever write a book about him. I would definitely buy it. I think his story could even be told in a movie, or a documentary. He was so brave and persistent in his goals. He lived an example of us struggling artists who have to work another job to carve out a living, only Marvin did it better. Because he actually did it! I want to be like him. For that reason, and because he is also an example of selflessness and caring. His focus was on the homeless and indigent.
For those reasons, I wish I could purchase one of his works for my wall, as a daily reminder of how precious life is, and how fleeting time is, and to never forget his gorgeous work. But so far, my search has not gotten me anywhere. His work is not for sale. I think maybe everyone loved him so much, they want to keep his drawings and paintings close to them. I can’t blame them.
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Connie, I’m so glad you wrote. It gave me a chance to revisit this post again. My blog partner (who wrote this piece) is out of town. But we always get so much satisfaction when readers comment on older posts. Your words seem on the mark. Marvin Franklin was an artist who really walked the talk. A powerful presence. Thank you for honoring him with your comment.
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