Franklin D. Murphy 1995

This bronze bust of Franklin D. Murphy was made by Richard Howard Ellis, though the exact date eludes us. There's something so immediate about working in bronze, it's like the artist is building up the figure bit by bit, responding to the material, to the way the light catches. Look at how the surface is built up, almost like the artist is sketching in three dimensions. The face is smooth, but the hair is quite textured. You can almost see the artist’s fingerprints in the clay. The overall effect isn't necessarily about perfection, but about catching a likeness, a sense of presence. The dark patina gives it a certain gravitas, doesn't it? Like it's been sitting here for centuries, watching us all come and go. It reminds me a little of Rodin, the way he built up his surfaces, that same kind of immediacy. Ultimately this bust is a reminder that art is always a conversation, across time, across materials, about how we see each other, how we remember each other.