Obama's communist-inspired icon artist, Shepard Fairey

several sources | several authors

[ETL]

From Barack Obama's official website:

“I wanted to make an art piece of Barack Obama because I thought an iconic portrait of him could symbolize and amplify the importance of his mission. I believe Obama will guide this country to a future where everyone can thrive and I should support him vigorously for the sake of my two young daughters. I have made art opposing the Iraq war for several years, and making art of Obama, who opposed the war from the start, is like making art for peace. I know I have an audience of young art fans and I’m delighted if I can encourage them to see the merits of Barack Obama.”

-Shepard Fairey
http://store.barackobama.com/Artists_for_Obama_s/1018.htm

See? It's all about "peace, love, togetherness" and "change".

Here are some of Fairey's other masterpieces. No joke. Most of his works are along these same lines (anti-American, pro-communist propaganda). Check the link.

Source: The Jonathan Levine Gallery:
http://jonathanlevinegallery.com/?method=Artist.ArtistDetail&ArtistID=F65EBB86-3048-28EB-92D55AA4FC996E31&GalleryID=82C33C59-3048-28EB-92DB386C8C733405

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From Shepard Fairey's official website (ObeyGiant.com):

Check it out! I got a thank you note from Barack Obama. If he is elected, maybe I have a get out of jail free card. All kidding aside, I’m honored to be acknowledged by someone so important to the future of our country. Also, the Obama campaign asked me to do a poster illustration for sale on their site. It should be out next week on barackobama.com.-Shepard
http://obeygiant.com/post/check-it-out
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Here is the 'thank you' letter Barack Obama sent to Shepard Fairey:
"Dear Shepard, I would like to thank you for using your talent in support of my campaign. The political messages involved in your work have encouraged Americans to believe they can help change the status quo. Your images have a profound effect on people, whether seen in a gallery or on a stop sign.'"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/16/AR2008051601017.html

Source for letter image: Fairey's own website (ObeyGiant.com):
http://obeygiant.com/post/check-it-out

If the image of the letter should 'vanish' from Fairey's website, try this link:
http://www.notcot.com/images/obama_letter-to-shepard-fairey.jpg

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Portrait of Angela Davis by Obama artist Shepard Fairey:

Angela Davis

Source: The Jonathan Levine Gallery (link given above)

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From David Horowitz's FrontPageMag.com/DiscoverTheNetworks.org:
PROFILE: ANGELA DAVIS

* Communist professor at the University of California’s Santa Cruz campus
* Recipient of the Lenin “Peace Prize” from the police state of East Germany in 1979
* Provided an arsenal of weapons to Black Panthers who used them to kill a Marin Country judge in a failed attempt to free Davis' imprisoned lover, Black Panther murderer George Jackson
* Icon of the campus Left and frequent guest speaker at anti-war rallies
* Leader of a movement to free all criminals who are minorities claiming that they are political prisoners of the racist United States
* “The only path of liberation for black people is that which leads toward complete and radical overthrow of the capitalist class.”

Angela Yvonne Davis is a tenured professor in the “History of Consciousness” program at the University of California - Santa Cruz. A former member of the Black Panther Party, she is currently a “University Professor,” one of only seven in the entire California University system, which entitles her to a six-figure salary and a research assistant. This income is supplemented by speaking fees ranging from $10,000 to $20,000 per appearance on college campuses, where she is an icon of radical faculty, administrators, and students. Davis has also taught at UCLA and the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=1303

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"Check it out! I got a thank you note from Barack Obama. If he is elected, maybe I have a get out of jail free card"
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

VIDEO: Obama icon artist, Shepard Fairey, discusses his numerous arrests in this May 2008 alternative media interview (2:32 min):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozeTXRa7_zo&feature=related

[Dajjal]

One of Fairey's favorite political messages is, literally, "Peace out of the barrel of a gun."

[Dajjal]

Before I turn in for the night, I must add to this thread that not only is Shepard Fairey a Communist Propagandist Friend of Obama -- he is also a major fund raiser for Obama's campaign.

Between January - May, Fairey had raised $400,000 through poster sales alone.

That's not counting all the money raised from the poster images on tee shirts, sweat shirts, buttons, stickers, coffee mugs, and numerous other venues.

Let's guess that those combined sales all bring the Jan. - May total to a minimum of around $1,000,000.

Figure conservatively that the June to mid-October sales kept at a steady rate; then the current total would be around $2,000,000.

But if sales increased after Obama beat Hillary in the delegate count, had a spike at the Denver convention, and have grown after Labor Day, then the figure could easily be over $3,000,000.

The Washington Post reported that at auctions, autographed posters (signed by either Fairey or Obama) have been going for big bucks: they mention that one went for $5,900. Some of the auctions may be done by collectors, but I would suspect that some of those auctions are campaign fundraisers. So figure in some additional thousands from autographed posters.

Add to that the fact that Shepard Fairey has been hosting hip-hop dance party fundraisers for Obama around the country. The total might be up around $4,000,000.

But these are just my guestimates, based on that June 9th report about the posters.

[MichaelAsher54]

Penetrating Insights into the Obvious

[babyfreep]

It leaves you speechless how he can be where he is today.

Pretty much. On another note - We went and bought a new revolver today. If the worst happens, we'll end up with a new shotgun, too, before next January.

[BonRad]

big ping

[LucyT]

Thanks, BonRad.

Fantastic thread, ETL.

Pinging everyone.

[FrdmLvr]

I wonder what Shepard Fairey thinks of his Messiah now that he has kept Gates on, has no intention of ending the Iraq War anytime soon, and is requesting more troops for Afganistan.

That's the kind of "change" non-commies can believe in.

[Iowan]

Thanks for the update, LucyT & for the post ETL.

I had no idea.

Excellent article.

PNG.

[little jeremiah]

Extremely sick (fill in deleted word of your choice) BTTT.

[PhilDragoo]

[Travis McGee]

bttt

[potlatch]

I was on one of those earlier threads about Shepard Fairey that Dajjal linked.

I dared to say that I somewhat liked some of the colorfulness and artistry in Fairey’s work. I even had the nerve to compare it to the colorfulness of Peter Max.

Whoaaa, what an uproar that elicited, lol. As an artistic person myself, I have the knowledge that you can like someone’s artistic skills even though you despise the artist and the subject. Common sense I believe.

Van Gogh cut off part of his left ear, suffered mental illness and committed suicide. Most of his best known works were done in the final two years of his life DURING his bout with mental illness.

Does that make his work deranged, loony?

Your own graphic bears a resemblance to Fairey’s, and I find it very attractive.

[potlatch]

You WILL note that I did not say your work bore a resemblance to Van Gogh’s final two ‘loony’ years. LOLOL!!

Sorry, girls just gotta have fun!

[Iowan]

Thanks, PhilDragoo

Excellent

Check out this graphic Ping.

[PhilDragoo]

Fairey has chosen to use his talents to promote communism and obamanism.

It is only accurate to note that his talent is not inconsiderable.

Fairey owes some of his impact to the work of Warhol, Max, Robert Indiana.

Pop art, op art.

I find a great deal of power in propaganda poster art: WWII USA, Stalin, Mao.

Every time there is a FReep, there is the dynamic of the public street, street theater, crowd psychology.

What more symbolic image of Tiananmen than the Man Who Stopped The Tanks.

Just as the Running Crying Naked Napalm Girl has symbolized the Vietnam War--although she didn't ask for the role, and doesn't necessarily agree to the use.

We will take the imagery of Fairey and make the obamatons eat it.

[Jet Jaguar]

Bump

[potlatch]

Too bad we don't have a poster of Hillary ducking the bullets in Bosnia... She will have some great accounts to share in a year or two.

As I wrote in my earlier comment, we can admire the art but not the composer.

Changing it for our own purposes is a good concept, devolve will love your mr creepy, lol.

This is one I 'adapted'. The artist actually posted here - but not to me, lol.

[devolve]

.

Creepy Creepy Night,

.....

[potlatch]

[Creepy Creepy Night,]

Are you OK? snicker
Sounds like you are having a bad night! It can creep up on you.

[Tailgunner Joe]

The rose in the fist is a socialist symbol.

A more racially sensitive version of the symbol is used by the Democratic Socialists of America, which was linked to the "New Party" Obama was a member of in the nineties.