According to The Star, American graffiti and street art legend Josh "Stash" Franklin was enthralled by the murals that were illegally painted on the trains as a young boy riding the subway in 1970s New York City.
The second generation of New York City subway writers was active at the time. The letters in the murals had transformed from being simple and direct, which are the most beautiful things, to becoming vibrant and full of pop culture references. At the Mandai Estate studio in Singapore, the 54-year-old recalls, "It was an amazing thing to experience it as a child.
Franklin was invited to Singapore by local artist Jahan Loh and stayed in the country for a week-long.
Franklin was ready to start working but acknowledges that he has gone a long way from his beginnings as a graffiti artist.
Before contemporary distractions like reality television and the Internet, mothers would send their children outside with the order to stay outside until dinner.
So, the child grabbed up a can of paint and tried his hand at graffiti, armed with enough subway tokens to get him from his Upper East Side home to neighborhoods like Brooklyn.
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Their "writing" was more akin to calligraphy, with vivid colors and strong linework. In any event, finishing a project gave you an unrivaled sense of pride and satisfaction.
Train graffiti has largely been supplanted by street art that has made its way into the business world; Franklin claims to be a member of the last real generation of train writers.
