Text and Image-Shepard Fairey

Shepard Fairey is an American graphic artist and social artist who well known for his part in the street art movement. Fairey’s passion for art began when he was a teenager when he began to use his drawings for t-shirts and skateboards at the shop he worked at during the time. Along with this, he began to post pictures around in the community. This is when his interest for street art began. Later on, he attended the Rhode Island School of Design where he earned his bachelor’s in fine art. During this time, Fairey created one of his most famous pieces/brands, Obey when he saw the Andre the Giant picture in an ad on the newspaper. Later in 2009, Fairey created another phenomenon when he took senator Barack Obama and created a poster with the words “hope” on it. The trends and other Shepard Fairey works have also been appearing in museums as well like the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.. Lately, rather than showing support, Fairey has been working on posters of culturally diverse women while using the colors red, white, and blue in response to Trump’s policies.

As a social activist, many of Fairey’s art is political based. Some common themes would be Fairey’s detest for the Iraq war, occupying Wall Street, and currently Trump’s views on immigration. Fairey also gains inspiration from the world and media around him. Fairey likes to blend commercial, fine and street art into his own. Fairey displays his art through many forms like stickers, prints and posters. Lastly, Fairey mainly likes to use the colors red, white, and black in his art.

Some of Shepard Fairey's Art:
                    

I love the printed effect of Fairey’s art and I think I would like to try this with some of my works too. Along with this, I like Fairey’s choice of colors and how they all blend together nicely. Also, for pieces like the girl in “make art not war” and “paint it black” I like the patterns in the background and how it kind of singles out the piece or focus in the piece. I also like how Fairey uses recurring images in his art and will change the words and meaning to the image. Lastly, I like how Fairey uses words in his art. I like how they don’t stand out as the main piece, but still make a big impact to the piece. I also like how they blend in with the piece whether it makes it appear like a poster or are in the image itself.

In conclusion, I’ve learned that text and image can take an image and can completely change the meaning or thought of it into something else. I’ve noticed that contemporary artists mainly use text and image to share a message or viewpoint on a topic by adding it to an image that people generally wouldn’t relate to it or not think of straight away. I think I will use text and image to share my thoughts or personal experiences in my art. Along with this, I think I will be using text and image in a similar fashion to Fairey, by making it appear more like a poster. Lastly, I was definitely inspired a lot by Shepard Fairey’s art. I don’t think I will follow this style directly, but I am definitely inspired by the poster look and his use of multiple colors in his work.

Sources:
http://www.artnet.com/artists/shepard-fairey/
https://www.artsy.net/artist/shepard-fairey
http://www.streetartbio.com/shepard-fairey
https://www.interviewmagazine.com/art/shepard-fairey