To unsuspecting subway riders, he’s just an old man who keeps looking at them as he scribbles in a notepad.
But if they look closely, they usually learn they weren’t just commuting — they were unknowingly posing for one of Yuriy Modlikskiy’s amazing candid subway sketches.
The 65-year-old former Russian book illustrator, who is nearly deaf, passes the time on the F train recording the sea of faces he sees each day. He often presents the finished product to commuters for nothing more than the joy of watching their reaction.
“For you, a present,” Modlikskiy said during a recent trip, as he tapped a young, bearded man on the arm.
