His latest cover designing was in April 2020 for Rolling Stone with a portrait of Greta Thunberg. Shepard Fairey is also famous for his activist and humanitarian concerns and often creates and donates artwork in order to promote awareness and show support.
Is Shepard Fairey’s art art?
In this article, I am going to write about one of the most infamous street artists of all time, Shepard Fairey. Although street art is often criticized for being a form of vandalism rather than an art form, Shepard Fairey’s art as a whole has created not only a social movement in itself but also has a deeper, more contextual meaning to explore.
What colors does Shepard Fairey like to work with?
Shepard Fairey enjoys working with the colors black, white, and red. Fairey has constantly shifted between the realms of fine art, commercial art, street art, and even political art. His most famous art includes images of Andre the Giant, the Obey trademark, as well as the propaganda poster of Barack Obama.
What did Shepard Fairey do for a living?
As a young adult, Shepard Fairey became very interested in art. He soon began to use his drawings in T-shirts and skateboards. He was a skateboard-obsessed art student. While in school, Shepard Fairey held a part-time job in a skateboarding shop.
Why is Shepard Fairey fighting copyright issues?
Today, Fairey is fighting copyright issues pertaining to this image of Obama and in the past he has also dealt with issues with the law because his art is seen as vandalization. To create his existence in the world, Fairey believed to put his art everywhere so people would HAVE to look.
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1 - He began to be interested in art at the age of 14 years old
Frank Shepard Fairey was born in 1970 in Charleston, South Carolina. In 1984, he started drawing to customize t-shirts and skateboards.
2 - He started his career inspired by a French wrestler
In 1989, Shepard Fairey's destiny changed when a friend asked him to explain how to make stencils. To show him, he grabbed a newspaper and came across a picture of the French wrestler André le Géant, he decided to use it to show him how to do it and here is the result :
3 - His pseudonym Obey is taken from a movie
Unlike Banksy or Daft Punk, Shepard Fairey does not hide his identity. His pseudonym Obey is taken from a low-budget film directed in 1988 by John Carpenter: Invasion Los Angeles. This film is a fiction which tells the invasion of the earth by extraterrestrials, it is considered as cult in the United States.
4 - He puts his art at the service of politics
Shepard Fairey is undoubtedly one of the most influential urban artists in the world. He has always wanted to give a political dimension to his work: "I call my art propaganda because I believe that any art that defends specific objectives contains elements of propaganda.
5 - He designed an album cover for the Black Eyed Peas
In 2003, Shepard Fairey started "Number One", his own design studio with his wife. In 2005, he created the cover artwork for the Black Eyed Peas' album Monkey Business. An album that sold more than 10 million copies!
What school did Fairey go to?
Fairey, too, remains steadfast in the principles and perspectives he acquired following his years at the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design and his ascendancy through the ranks of street art: to enable people to clearly see objects or ideas so taken for granted that they have become invisible.
Who was the artist who painted the Detroit Industry?
W hen the artist Diego Rivera arrived in Detroit in April 1932 – at the behest of auto magnate Edsel Ford – to create the Detroit Industry murals, he entered an industrial colossus laid low by the great depression and amplified by a chorus of conservative critics, who called his mixed-race, humanistic portrayal of the working class, “coarse in conception … foolishly vulgar, and a slander to Detroit workmen”.
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What does the quote "Art is not always meant to be decorative or soothing, in fact it can create uncomfortable conversations and?
Shepard Fairey & OBEY Cross Over To Mainstream Pop Culture. “Art is not always meant to be decorative or soothing, in fact it can create uncomfortable conversations and emotions”. This quote reflects how Fairey is not afraid to be politically outspoken and address social issues in his art.
How long has Fairey been following Obama?
According to Obey Giant, Fairey has been following along with Obama since 2004. He advocates for him on his website by not only providing the link but informing what political traits the 2008 and 2012 presidential candidate carries, including energy and environmental conservation, healthcare reform, and opposing the war.
What makes Fairey stand out among other artists?
Unlike the mastermind behind the ‘Obey” brand, most artists do not convey their views on the world with their work. With that being said, this is what makes Fairey stand out among other artists. He is not here for us to look at pretty pictures with ooh and ahhhs, he is here for us to look at his work and go “hmmm, I’m not sure how I feel about this”. Whether we like it or not.
What is the irony of the brand "Obey"?
The irony of the brand; “Obey”, is that Shepard has changed the meaning behind the word (at least where the brand and his work is concerned) to support more rebellious acts such as questioning how the world works rather than submitting or obeying what society tells us to think or do.
Who made the Obama posters?
Shepard Fairey really broke into the mainstream when he made posters portraying Barack Obama in red, white, and blue with the word Hope. The impact of the poster design and Barack Obama’s endorsement of the work, made immense news coverage worldwide including networks such as CNN, NBC, CBS and newspapers like the New York Times and Washington Post. According to Obey Giant, Fairey has been following along with Obama since 2004. He advocates for him on his website by not only providing the link but informing what political traits the 2008 and 2012 presidential candidate carries, including energy and environmental conservation, healthcare reform, and opposing the war. This helped make Obama a more genuine candidate than others.
Where is Hypebeast currently collaborating with Adidas?
Most recently (as of 4/24/2018), Hypebeast has announced that he is currently collaborating with Adidas Skateboarding with the work being exhibited in “Showcase X” at the Seventh Letter Gallery in Los Angeles.
Is Fairey holding back?
With what seems to be a liberal standpoint and strong fan base, Fairey is not holding back. Aside from what type of audience his brand attracts, there is no stopping him on getting his point across even if it is controversial. Whether his opinions fluctuate, he will let the art world and beyond know how he feels.
What was the inspiration for Shepard Fairey?
He was apart of the “do-it-yourself” era where young people were seen creating their own advertisements and fashion. Fairey was inspired by graffiti and poster making causing him to wedge himself in and become apart of the movement. He created the image of Andre the Giant as sort of a joke from a newspaper ad. Fairey began sticking these abstract portraits up all around Providence to symbolize himself condemning his own interests. He wanted people to be confused, look at the details in his abstract image, and wonder, “Why?” Shepard Fairey realized he could cause change and impact after his image of Andre the Giant became something familiar to residents of Providence. This phenomenon sparked Fairey’s career, led him to create his OBEY empire, and also become one of the top influential artists of our time.
Who is Shepard Fairey?
Born in Charleston but residing in LA, Fairey is a well known graphic artist who commonly works with portrait images to create meaningful messages whether it be fine art or graffiti. He got his Bachelor of Fine Arts at RISD in the early 90s at around the same time he created his first art revolution that took over the streets of Providence, RI.
Who is Shepard Fairey?
Frank “ Shepard Fairey ” is a very famous graphic artist, muralist, and overall artist. He was born on February 15, 1970 in Charleston, South Carolina in the United States. In 1988, the artist graduated from Idyllwild Arts Academy in Palm Springs, California. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island in 1992.
What is the Obey Clothing program?
The artist also founded in 2007 the Obey Awareness Program, operated by Obey Clothing, so as so increase his humanitarian efforts. This program allows Fairey to support handpicked causes he believes in by selling specially designed merchandise and donating 100% of the profits raised.
What was the first image that Fairey used?
One of the first images he ever used was that of Andre the Giant. Shepard Fairey found this image in a newspaper ad and he chose to introduce it to the streets.
What is the French national icon?
After the 2015 Paris attacks, the artist paid a tribute to the victims with the creation of a poster depicting Marianne, the French national icon, surrounded by the French motto Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité. In June 2016, Shepard Fairey reproduced the image as a mural in Paris.
Who is the most influential street artist?
Shepard Fairey found this image in a newspaper ad and he chose to introduce it to the streets. Shepard Fairey is one of the most influential street artists of our time. Shepard Fairey ’s work has been used in screen-prints, stencils, stickers, masking film illustrations, wheat paste, collages, sculptures, posters, paintings, and murals.
What did Fairey do with his stickers?
At first, Fairey used the sticker to merely decorate his skateboards and the city, passing them on to his friends to do the same. Over time, he modified the design to say one simple word: OBEY. He then started to produce stickers, stencils, and posters with this design (fig 2).
What did Fairey do with his art?
M oving on in time, Fairey took his popularity in the world of street art and used it to send out messages regarding politics, issues of war, human rights, and ecology. Successfully establishing himself as an outspoken counter-culture figure. A piece of art in particular that brought him a lot of fame and attention was his Obama Hope poster (fig. 3). In 2008, when the election of the 44th president of the United States was on everyone’s mind, Fairey decided to create an image that unknown to him, would become a social icon and the foundation of Barack Obama’s political campaign. The poster Fairey produced used an image of Obama that was taken by a photographer from the Associated Press. In the photo, Obama is faintly gazing off into the distance, and the word “HOPE” is printed in big, bold letters underneath him. Fairey used variations of red, white, and blue pigments that are found within the American flag. Indeed painting an ideal picture of the perfect political candidate, someone Americans would want to run their country. Again, Fairey’s concept of cultural phenomenon applies. The visual Fairey painted of Obama sends a quick message to the viewer, and when it was seen over and over again on pins, hats, wall murals, posters, and t-shirts that everyone wanted to possess, the message created a promise in people’s minds. It stood for “the reinstatement of the nation’s trampled principles, the resurgence of disenfranchised ideals and beliefs suppressed since the time of the civil rights era”.
What is street art?
Street art embodies a different success than “high art” it truly allows art to join the living and evolve with the changes going on in the world around it. S hepard Fairey has successfully embodied the true meaning of street art. He uses it as a social experiment.
What is the damage of Fairey's work?
Damaged is a series of mixed media portraits that portray an array of women and environmentalist issues. The artwork he produced for Damaged ended up being used for the Women’s March. The images he created in this campaign deeply explore the damaged state women’s rights, politics, and the environment. For example, his work Wrong Path (fig.5) is a collage of several different subjects in response to the array of issues going on currently in America. In Wrong Path Fairey cleverly juxtaposes images of serene nature with industrial imagery of oil rigs and transit. It gives the viewer a chance to observe all of the symbolism and think about the meaning behind the piece itself. It’s clear that Fairey isn’t telling the observer what to think, but he is merely encouraging them to think about what is going on all around us. There is definitely something to admire about street art, in that it is so in the moment and can be used as a response to current events going on before our very eyes. People who care about the environment face so many challenges, especially with the shortsighted policies currently being passed in the legislature. And Fairey’s imagery successfully portrays that.
What color is Obama's hope?
In the photo, Obama is faintly gazing off into the distance, and the word “HOPE” is printed in big, bold letters underneath him. Fairey used variations of red, white, and blue pigments that are found within the American flag.
What is the theory of broken windows?
Then there are adherents of the famous “broken windows” theory, which posits that crime is often the result of the breakdown in law and order as represented by such activities as vandalism, graffiti and the like. To them, Fairey is simply a lawbreaker who should be imprisoned and fined for his activities.”.
What is the meaning of the OBEY sticker?
It’s about the various reactions people have when they view it, and how it reflects on their individual personalities. For example, someone who admires the image for what it is will observe is and not question its existence. But the more conservative or paranoid viewer, will be confused by its existence and question why it is there and see it as an underground cult with rebellious intentions.
A Brief Background of Shepard Fairey
Shepard Fairey & Obey Cross Over to Mainstream Pop Culture
- This quote reflects how Fairey is not afraid to be politically outspoken and address social issues in his art. He tries to challenge everyone’s notion of art by shining light on subjects most of us would rather brush aside and move on from. His work focuses on making those conversations happen and impacting people's emotional side. As also being a ...
Where to Find Shepard Fairey’s Work
- While Obey (the brand) was originally considered a more subversive brand only found in skate shops and alternative retail establishments, today it is carried in major retailers around the world. As with Obey brand, today you can see Shepard Fairey’s work in almost any major city, ranging from stickers posted by loyal followers to large commissioned mural works. By far the biggest c…
Shepard Fairey Collaborations
- These days Shepard Fairey is still very active. In addition to murals and gallery works, he continues to release a number of interesting collaborations. Most recently (as of 4/24/2018), Hypebeast has announced that he is currently collaborating with Adidas Skateboarding with the work being exhibited in “Showcase X” at the Seventh Letter Gallery in Los Angeles. Together, Adi…