Shepard Fairey is the artist for the now famous Obama-Hope-Progress posters popularized during the election. The poster will now become part of the permanent collection at the US National Portrait Gallery. Here is the Obey series of Shepard Fairey. And after perusing his works, is he spoofing Obama or endorsing him? If it had been McCain's face on the poster, it would have been a classic Old-White-Guy-Big-Brother reference. Is it an artful warning, or an endorsement? Posters of McCain with HERO underneath, or Palin with MOTHER underneath, or Biden with STATESMAN underneath would have made the theme consistent. Perhaps he's sincere in his endorsement for Obama. Such is the Riefenstahlian dilemma.

And now with Fairey’s brush with the Law, his next artistic release should be quite interesting.

Obama poster artist Shepard Fairey is arrested on tagging charges

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-fairey8-2009feb08,0,4784287.story

08 Feb 2009

Fairey was arrested Friday night in Boston on his way to the Institute of Contemporary Art to DJ at a sold-out party kicking off his first solo exhibition, “Supply and Demand.” Two arrest warrants had been issued Jan. 24 after police determined that he had tagged property in two locations with his street art campaign featuring Andre the Giant and the word "obey," said Boston police officer James Kenneally.

Copyright battle over Obama image

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7872253.stm

05 Feb 2009

The Associated Press is claiming compensation for the use of one of its photographs to create the most iconic image of Barack Obama. Speaking in an interview with the BBC World Service before the copyright row erupted, he said he was more accustomed to making negative posters of politicians, but was inspired to create a positive image of Barack Obama when he heard him speak at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

Fairey also did the book cover for Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm.