Franklin Booth: Silent Symphony is a massive,304-page book featuring over 400 pieces that span the artist’s entire career. Accompanying photos of Franklin Booth (1874-1948), his family, friends andcolleagues—along with illustrations by his peers and inspirations—add nearly fiftymore images. A new essay by the award-winning illustrator and professor AliceA.
Carter delves into Booth’s life. This biography highlights his childhood inIndiana, family life and the earliest days of his professional career, his roadtrips, studio life and teaching career with intimate stories and much more. Quotes of first-hand encounters with Booth by his students, friends and fellowartists also are shared.
Pen-and-ink drawings cover afifty-year span—from Booth’s earliest days to his final works. These include hisstory illustrations for top magazines of the time, plus a diverse and rareassortment of pieces made for poems, advertisements and prints. Bookillustrations completed in color as well as pen-and-ink also are featured,along with rare sketches for an unrealized project.
All art was scanned andphotographed from its original source material using the latest technology andhas been painstakingly prepped for this publication. FranklinBooth’s meticulous and unique pen technique has been revered by artists andstudents for the last hundred years. No one has ever been able to duplicate hisstyle.
Booth utilized his own life, philosophies and experiences as vehicles toproject his thoughts to the viewer, which makes his work deeply compelling andinfused with his respect for nature and art. He always listened to his ownvoice and developed a style that was not a natural product of his era. Thisallowed his work to become timeless and to continue capturing audiences today.
FranklinBooth’s influence can still be seen in modern comic books, fantasy illustrations,concept art and films. The magnitude of his art is made for the big screen,with his figures in epic scenes. His work has made its way through decades ofshifting genres and changes in the art world and is still as immediate today asit was in the early twentieth century.
