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THE ART OF MARVIN FRANKLIN

December 18, 2007 – March 30, 2008

Tenely on Train. Watercolor

Artist and New York City Transit track worker Marvin Franklin lost his life in the line of duty on April 29, 2007 while working the night shift as he had for twenty two years. He was fifty five years old. He leaves behind a wife, three children, many friends and a substantial body of artwork - much of it never exhibited before. On view at the New York Transit Museum, in Brooklyn Heights, are drawings, prints and paintings all set in the subway system where he spent much time as both an employee and a commuter. Many of the images depict homeless people. The artist was once homeless himself. After rebuilding his life, he devoted himself to artwork. “Art saved my life,” he said. He produced hundreds of sketches, prints and watercolors showing life in the subway with insight and compassion.

The night shift was 11PM to 7 AM. After work he would get on the F train at Jamaica/179th Street, the end of the line in Queens, sketch book in hand, and draw his fellow passengers all the way to 57th Street in Manhattan where he went to school. For more than a decade he attended school at the Art Students League from 9AM to noon. After school he would get back on the F train and sketch some more on his way home. With twenty two years on the job, he was three years away from retirement. Then he hoped to teach art, exhibit his work to raise awareness about homelessness and sell his artwork to raise money to help people in need.

The exhibition includes five of his sketch books filled with renderings of subway passengers executed in ballpoint pen. People sleeping or reading made the best subjects since they were still. Sometimes his long commute allowed for meticulous renderings. Other times the subject would exit at the next stop with just an outline captured on paper. These sketches provided the source material for paintings and etchings done in the studio. In fifteen examples of his etchings we see his drawings evolve into more refined compositions. In a selection of watercolors in the exhibition he takes the work in a different direction adding a rich color palette to the subject matter. The work captures both the larger picture of the human experience and the smaller details of life, such as second hand shoes that don’t fit. The exhibit concludes with an oil on canvas self portrait.

Etching
Subway Series. Etching

Support for the exhibition has been provided by the Transport Workers Union Local 100.

Additional support was provided by the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
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