The denotations of the above artwork show a smoke cloud puffing up from the black ground. The background is a bright red with thin stripes curving slightly up it. There are 4 black planes in the background to the right of the smoke cloud. Underneath the smoke cloud in cursive script it says "Greetings" then in an all caps sans serif font it says "FROM" then in another all-caps, but very unique and original font it says "IRAQ". Underneath that in a plain all-caps font it says "ENJOY A CHEAP HOLIDAY IN OTHER PEOPLE'S MISERY". The whole ground is black and there are slight hills on either side of the smoke cloud. On the left of the smoke cloud there's an oil rig, also in black. On the right side of the smoke cloud there are 3 camels. The smoke cloud itself is an off white pinkish beige color, but is outlined in black and has black lines throughout.
The connotations of this image are fairly obvious. The image displays an overall sarcastic tone and clearly does not support the war in Iraq. The oil rigs in the background represent the fight for oil that is in the natural resources of Iraq. The camels on the opposing side of the oil rig contrast the harshness of the oil rig. The camels are a part of Iraq's culture and history, and putting them in the setting with the oil rig, planes, and smoke cloud makes them stand out as the only part of true Iraqi culture left. The main focus of the image, the smoke cloud, represents bombing and destruction of the land and also violence of the war. The text is also sending a strong message that looking for oil and destroying the land and resources is the "cheap holiday" and it is causing "other people's misery." The "Greetings from Iraq" is somewhat sarcastic, saying that no one would actually like to be sending greetings from Iraq. It can be said that the artist, Shepard Fairey, does not support the war in Iraq and feels it is a mistake, just by analyzing the connotations and denotations of the image.
The next image I chose is the extremely popular Obama Hope poster that Fairey created during the 2008 election campaign.
The image is an actual photograph of Barrack Obama that has been manipulated in computer programs. It is a close up of Obama's face but also shows the top half of his suit. He appears to be looking up at something off into the distance. The whole image consists of only red, white, and blue shades. All of the outlining on Obama's face is done in a dark blue color, as is his suit jacket and the bottom portion of the image. His face is filled in with light blue, off-white, and red. His tie and the right side of the image are red, while the left side is light blue, and the middle of his face and also his shirt are filled with white. Underneath the image of Obama there is the word HOPE in a bold, all-caps, sans serif font. It is colored light blue. Directly above the E there is Obama's logo which is a circle with red and white stripes on the bottom.
The image connotes overall support for Obama. The word "HOPE" represents this the best, because it is implying the Obama represents hope for America. Red, white, and blue are the colors of the American flag, and by only using these colors, Fairey wants to say that Obama is patriotic, and for the better of America and represents America. He strategically used the colors on Obama's face in the red, white, and blue order, because that is the order we say the colors in patriotic songs and such. The added detail of Obama's campaign logo is again to just show support for Obama. It is fair to say that Shepard Fairey is an Obama supporter.
SOURCES:
Obama Hope Poster http://markbrand.wordpress.com/category/political-art/
"Greeting from Iraq" http://www.portrait.gov.au/exhibit/fairey/12.html?pagenum
**I already knew of the artist so I did not look him up on the internet, only his artwork**
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