Besides her earth-shattering voice, I was also drawn to her commitment to the civil rights movement and empowering black women.  Franklin grew up in the civil rights era and her songs are rooted in the gospel music she sang at church since she was a child.  Her father was a successful minister and close friend of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  In fact, Aretha also toured with Dr. King and used her platform to finance civil rights tours and house activists.  Her songs became a soundtrack for an era where black Americans were fighting against racial oppression and demanding equal rights.  Civil rights leader and former congressman, John Lewis, said that he and his supporters often listened to Franklin’s songs after a non-violent protest to help solidify their faith and determination to achieve their goals.

I used a black and white portrait of Aretha Franklin from the 1960s as well as a coloured portrait of her in her later years to illustrate the longevity of her career and to provide a link between the energy of her youth and the wisdom and effervescence of her as an older artist.

I incorporated vinyl records in the composition to emphasize the power and energy of her career in music and to communicate a retro vibe.  I purposely used a Duke Ellington record beside the larger portrait because I liked the idea of fusing a groundbreaking jazz artist from a previous decade with Franklin’s youthful image.  The vinyl records serve to frame both portraits, providing glints of their original vinyl and acting as smaller areas of focus.  

The arm of the record player leads the eye to the retro-inspired colours in the top right and then down to the older version of Franklin which pulsates with energy.  I particularly liked the exaggerated lighting that illuminates her in purple and yellow.  I framed this older version of her with the silhouette of a grand piano since Aretha was also a prolific piano player and wrote many of her own songs.  

The turquoises, golden yellows, oranges, and purples symbolize the energy of her music and the power of her radiating vocals.  I included the names of some of her hit songs in a diagonal fashion, enlarging one letter in each song to spell out “A-R-E-T-H-A”.  I grounded the composition by including her most famous song title, “Respect” at the bottom.  I graphite transferred this word using a retro font reflective of the rainbow that rains down on Franklin in the background.  “Respect” also encapsulates Franklin’s career perfectly and is a testament to what she brought to feminism and civil rights with her music and platform.

So as people continue to fight injustices and inequality along lines of race, ethnicity, religion, age, wealth, and sex, I remember Aretha Franklin’s commitment to faith and respect for all.  Long live the Queen.