What does Barack Obama and Andre the Giant have in common
with Post Modern Art?
HOPE, 2008
Andre the Giant Has a Posse, 1989
Both are works by Shepard Fairey (American, born 1970)
Introducing Street Artist Frank Shepard Fairey.
Frank Shepard Fairey was raised in Charleston, South Carolina he is a contemporary graphic designer and illustrator. He entered art school when he recognized he was not going to make it into the Professional Skateboard circle. Skateboarding was his world; he knew its underground culture well. He used his artistic talent then, and even help fill a void in skateboard art for fellow skateboarders by designing T-shirts and stickers for them.
After he realized he would never become a Pro Skateboarder and perform for the mass media and spectators; he decided to attend college. In 1992 he received a Bachelor’s degree of Fine Arts in Illustration. With time his natural talent in the arts propelled him into the mass media at the public level captivating the attention of many who became followers of his art.
His arrival as a Professional artist instead of a Professional Skateboarder came in several parts through his artistic talent, President Obama’s campaign and luck by way of a joke. I will discuss more about the joke that propelled him into Pop art later in the blog.
He created art that caught the public’s interest, the culture and current movements and adopted this into his work. Such as, Andre the Giant Has a Posse (a French professional wrestler and actor who suffered from Gigantism.) Fairey recaptured Andre’s wrestling image from the past and modernized it into a form of Dadaism art.
Fairey’s original intent for his Andre the Giant Has a Posse was to make it an underground skater’s inside joke. His remake showed the differences between wrestling as a sport and what the skateboarders, punkers and hip hop culture was like. Here is Fairy’s explanation of the inside joke. “So this obey giant Posse thing was like the inside joke, skate crew thing, making fun of what it’s condemning, making fun of having a crew, but being one, making fun of the language. Wrestling was the most uncool thing to uberhip skaters, but to associate yourself with it was funny, it was a paradox.”
After the Andre the Giant Has a Posse went viral “Fairey discovered a secret that has been closely guarded by every religious, political and mercantile authority from the Catholic Church to Coca Cola: mind control is easy and fun, not to mention profitable.”
Shepard Fairey, “OBEY” Street Artist and Designer. February 22, 2009
Andre The Giant “Obey Giant”
Frank Shepard Fairey “Obey Giant” 1992
Fairey has learned how to transcend his art and messages between street, commercial and fine art. He says he has found the balance between the creepy, goofy, sinister and likable that touches people’s emotions. For example, some who view Fairey’s “Obey Giant” may sense eeriness about it with its ominous stare, on the flip-side another person may view it as an imaginative silly or likable image.
The original Andre the Giant has a Posse 1989 morphed into the more generic form used today. After the WWF (World Wrestling Federation) and some of WWF fans pressured Fairey to make a change in his illustration of their beloved wrestler.
This change sparked yet another round of thought provoking reaction. Fairey, made some changes to his original illustration and he removed the title Andre the Giant has a Posse and replaced it with the word “Obey.”
When people encountered this new poster or sticker with the word “Obey” some wondered if it came with religious intentions or to control behavior, others felt they were being watched. How does it make you feel? What would you think or feel if you came across this sign posted in a public setting?
Shepard Fairey of Obey | Skateboarding, Graffiti, & Andre The Giant
In 2008, Fairey created the now widely recognized
Hope poster of Barack Obama.
Shepard Fairey (American, born 1970) ‘Change’ Poster 2008.
The above image of Barack Obama is shown after Fairey added his own illustrated style into an original 2006 photo by freelancer Mannie Garcia taken for The Associated Press. In fact, Fairy Googled a photograph to use to make his now famous campaign poster. Fairey not only recreated a digital image he added several one-word themes of the same image to invoke a message. For example, if you scroll back to the top you will notice the first Barack Obama image has the word “HOPE” and this one shows “CHANGE” the third not shown is “PROGRESS.”
Obama Campaign Poster
Fairey and The Associated Press (AP) became embroiled in a lawsuit over the AP image. He received a fine, probation and community service hours for his actions.
Many postmodern artists feel that it is ok to borrow, adopt, recycle, steal, or sample from other’s works. Do you believe he received a just sentence or do you believe he had not done anything wrong?
WHAT DOES ANDY WARHOL HAVE IN COMMON WITH DUSTHEADS?
Introducing Graffiti Street Artist Jean Michel Basquiat
In his studio, 1985. Photograph © Lizzie Himmel
Born (December 22, 1960 – August 12, 1988)
“I don’t listen to what art critics say. I don’t know anybody who needs a critic to find out what art is.”
― Jean-Michel Basquiat
His ethnic identity, artistic talents and knowledge of African culture and history transcended his African works into an unusual gift of emotional depth for the observer. Other two known artists who adapted works from Africa were Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse decades earlier.
Jean-Michel Basquiat was born in 1960 and raised in Brooklyn. As a young child (age six) Jean Michel’s mother saw that her son had artistic talent and enrolled him as a member of the Brooklyn Museum to cultivate his emerging talent. By the time he was twenty, his artistic works made it to the SoHo Galleries. Collectors began to purchase his art for its originality, and for his use of color, composition and emotional depth. Both Frank Sheppard Fairey and Basquit used language ”words” in their works to emphasis a theme.
http://www.christies.com/sales/post-war-contemporary-new-york-may-2013/pdf/basquiat-infographic.pdf
I highly recommend viewing this brochure on TIMELINE (Basquiat).
By 1985, Basquiat’s popularity continued to grow and he was featured on the cover of The New York Times Magazine as the next upcoming artist on the art market.
Untitled 1981 painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat
Sold for 16.3 million, on May 10, 2012
This piece is unnamed, my personal interpretation of the painting is it must be Basquiat’s version of Christ being crucified on the cross. Note, the halo appears to be a crown of thorns (many of his works depicted with halos represented important figures) on the upper left corner is a crucifix and in the left bottom corner is a fish and it may refer to Mathew 4:19 from the Bible.
What is your interpretation? Do you agree or disagree with mine? Does it seem plausible?
An absolute must see! Basquiat Official Trailer #1 – (1996) HD
Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquit were friends and had collaborated on several works together.
Richard Drew/Associated Press Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat at the Tony Shafrazi Gallery in New York , September 1985.
Arm and Hammer II, (Acrylic on Canvas, 76 x 112 inches, 1985)
Shown here is a painting by both Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat
Basquiat’s was widely known for painting brushstrokes by using words. Note, Basquiat’s word “Liberty” above the African musician and the year “1955,” during this era there was a struggle for basic civil rights. Some believe the working man’s arm and hammer depicts black labor.
“DUSTHEADS” by Jean-Michel Basquiat SOLD FOR$48,843.750
72 x 84 in. (182.8 x 213.3 cm.) Painted in 1982. RECENT SALE MAY 2013
“Dustheads” street slang for users of PCP or Angel Dust. One figure is shown confused and the other is portrayed as in a daze.
Watch how fast $48,843.750 is spent in an auction.
There is some serious bobble head movement happening in the audience as the auctioneer and bidders go toe to toe for the first world’s record selling sale of an artist’s works sold to an unnamed client on the phone.
Link to final sale price at http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/paintings/jean-michel-basquiat-dustheads-5684046-details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=5684046&sid=322823de-0e5f-4912-a7f5-835b899b1305 View this link for those who are wondering why the youtube video shows a sale price at $43,500,000 instead of $48,843.750.
END OF EXHIBIT…………………………………………………….
http://www.obeygiant.com/articles/andre-the-giant-is-watching-you
http://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/Matthew%204%3A19
http://fireplacechats.wordpress.com/2013/05/16/basquiats-market-reaches-dizzying-heights/
http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/8245.Jean_Michel_Basquiat
http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/08/09/specials/basquiat-mag.html
http://6thfloor.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/01/is-a-basquiat-painting-really-worth-16-million/
http://6thfloor.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/01/is-a-basquiat-painting-really-worth-16-million/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGUTnOGSXi8&list=TL9ShFsrkhjHk
http://www.obeygiant.com/articles/andre-the-giant-is-watching-you
penandpaperak 