The Art of Politics

• I picked up a feed today from The Bulletin about the patriotic symbolism in Obama campaign and his posters designed by Shepard Fairey of the OBEY Andre the Giant fame.

It hit the spot because I have been writing about the art of propaganda and the right wing conservative party. Here I found a more subtle more intellectual tactic employed by the Obama people and of course Shepard Fairey.

• Forgive me if I digress for a moment. As I have told many of you before I work in Historic Preservation for the Park Service.

This summer I have been staying in the mountains east of the continental divide close to the Canadian border in a small cabin below Rising Sun mountain on Baring Creek.

It is not far off the Going to the Sun road in Glacier National Park, but it is isolated and is close to the project I am working on.

• If you think your neighborhood is bad let me tell you about the vandal Grizzly Bears in mine.

These malicious vandals have kept me on edge all summer. They have torn up the sides of the cabin, ate all the best Huckleberries and the final straw, destroyed the outhouse.

The other morning I went out just before sunrise to pay my regular visit to the little outhouse that is about 300 feet up a trail from the cabin to find it ravaged by a very bad bear.

• Bear spray in hand I yelled, “Bad Bear”, but I am sure he was gone, gone somewhere laughing.

I can tell you that finding the door torn off and the box, the seat ripped out laying on the trail and the floor destroyed you really loose the urge to go.

• The other challenge of living out there is the radio.

All I can get on the American side is FOX news and talk. I mean there just isn’t any news or programing on the our side of the border anymore, at least that I can get up in the mountains.

• That is where I got interested in the Propaganda of the Conservatives, it gets real lonely out there, let me tell you.

But it’s not all bad because I can get Canadian radio and it is fantastic.

• Canadian radio is, well it’s like radio once was in America.

It’s like NPR, which sadly I can’t get a signal where I stay. I had hoped that I would be able to listen to the Democratic Convention, but no U.S. Radio station my radio could pick was broadcasting.

Further more the only U.S. News I could get about the convention was broadcast by Fox. I think FOX owns the American air waves, at least in this region.

• So it was the “Down Right Mean Country Convention” according to Sean Hannity.

All the regular players followed suit with their propaganda. Sean Hannity mocked Barack Obama calling him Apollo Obama because of the design of the stage at the Denver football stadium where he gave his acceptance speech.

• Hannity described the stage as a Greek temple where Obama would orate his version of the Greek tragedy or something to that effect.

I really had no idea what Sean Hannity was referring too, because I had not scene any television and I was not getting any news of substance where I was stationed at my isolated location.

So when I got back to civilization on Thursday hoping to catch Obama’s speech I saw the stage and I watched the speech live on c span.

• Then today I picked up a feed from the Bulletin out of Philadelphia about a story on Patriotic Symbolism in Obama’s Campaign Art.

• The article talks about the use of O in the design of the stage that represents Obama.

The waving red and white strips that curve across the bottom of the O represent furrows of a mid-west farm field. The O above represents the rising sun a powerful symbol for change and new beginnings which is the central theme for the Obama campaign. But it is the work of Shepard Fairey that really rocks.

• Fairey first made a name for himself twenty years ago with his OBEY posters.

He used an image of Andre the Giant over the word obey. Now his work for the Obama campaign shows his growth as an artist and his understanding of imagery as power. Fairey embraces the theory of “phenomenology”, developed by the German philosopher Martin Heidegger.

Basically the theory goes like this, the viewer has so much visual information going on around them, bombarded with images, the images overwhelm the conscious mind and the viewer stops paying attention. Fairey shocks the viewer into paying attention with his images.

• His designs are reminiscent of the Constructivist images of Alexander Rodchenko.

• Graphic and bold, really in your face.

Fairey mixes it up far more loosely than did Rodchenko.

• In his Obama poster Shepard Fairey challenges the traditional patriotic symbolism of the flag which has become and image of economic and military power that underlies this freedom we have. Both Fairey and Obama want to send a different message a message of hope.
• Fairey uses the colors Red, White and Blue to create a successful and startling image that symbolizes Hope and a statement of patriotism without the traditional images of the flag. The idea of disassociating with the old political symbolism is the reason Obama does not wear a traditional flag lapel pin.

 

Shepard Fairey

 

New Jan 18, 2009 LA Times Video Interview with Shepard Fairey on the Obama Posters

http://www.latimes.com/features/books/la-ca-shepard-fairey18-2009jan18,0,4824476.story

  

http://www.thebulletin.us/site/index.cfm?newsid=20097420&BRD=2737&PAG=461&dept_id=576361&rfi=8

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Rodchenko

 

Related Posts by David Eubank

Read More about Fairey’s connection to other political Artists

http://davideubank.wordpress.com/2008/11/10/rodchenko-heartfield-fairey-the-vocabulary-of-change

Hope Shows Up at the National Portrait Gallery

http://davideubank.wordpress.com/2009/01/26/%e2%80%9chope%e2%80%9d-shows-up-at-the-national-portrait-gallery/

NEW

Copyright Fair Use and the Transformative Factor by David Eubank

Shepard Fairey’s case for Fair Use/Copyright  Can an Artist use a copyrighted image/s in part or whole to create a new work of art?

 http://davideubank.wordpress.com/2009/02/11/copyright-fair-use-and-the-transformative-factor/

 

 

 

 

 

Filed under: Art, Art News, News, On Art, Politics, Uncategorized , Add new tag, Alexander Rodchenko, Barack Obama, Political art, Shepard Fairey

John Heartfield exhibit to open at the Akron Art Museum August 30, 2008 and will run through November 30, 2008

http://www.akronartmuseum.org Forty “40″ Photomontages created by John Heartfield for the anti-Nazi publication AIZ will be on display in total for the first time since their accusation by the museum in 1979. http://www.akronartmuseum.org/exhibitions/details.php?unid=722 Most of the Photomontage covers were to fragile to exhibit be for now. Conservation of the collection was made possible from a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services with additional funding from the Mary and Louis S. Myers Foundation. I received a heads up about the exhibition from Barbara Tannenbaum. And yes Barbara I wish I could come, but my fate waits atop a cold mountain in Montana where I will be working on a historic restoration project. So as I ride in the saddle up to the mile high Sperry Chalet in the heart of Glacier National Park to work you will enjoying what is sure to be a fabulous exhibit of John Hearfields work. I would urge anyone who is close to Akron to go and see these Photomontages. Look at them closely and think about the power of art as a weapon, used both for good and evil. Heartfield brought to light the truth about Hitler and the Nazis in these graphic images now on exhibition at the Akron Art Museum. Thanks Barbara.

 

Filed under: Art, Art News, News, On Art, Photography, Politics, Uncategorized , Akron Art Museum, Art as a Weapon, John Heartfield, Nazi Propaganda, Political art

The Art of Propaganda vs DaDa

John Heartfield, Photomontage  “I have millions behind me”

In the late 1970’s I worked on an exhibit of John Heartfield’s Photomontages produced for the anti-Nazi publication AIZ at the Akron Art Museum, in Akron Ohio. This was a time when Heartfield was little known in America. AIZ the magazine faded into history after the war. Heartfield however remained connected to the DADA movement http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dadaism . Museum Director John Coplans had curated the exhibit as part of his on going program to bring art of conscience to Akron. John was a powerful influence on my development as an artist and the work he curated was even more powerful. When we got our first look at Heartfield’s work we were breathless. The sepia toned photomontages were a powerful statement of the role art played in the war against Fascism.  But what really struck me as an odd parallel was the power of propaganda. The United States had just undergone the Nixon years and barely survived Vietnam. I was heavily involved in politics since blood had been split on the ground where I lived in Ohio to quell protests against the war. I began to study political science along with art. Working in a museum I was able to look closely at Heartfield’s art, art that mattered. Heartfield exposed the Nazi propaganda machine as a self serving tool used by men of little conscience except for their lust for power and money. They the Nazi’s wanted to control the world, not for some ideological purpose but for their own lust. Germany had been severely punished for World War I and had been required to pay damages to the countries it victimized during the war. With the world facing a global depression in the 1930s, Germany was in a fiscal crisis. German industrialists were isolated and the prospect of making profits in the European and world markets were slim. Along came Adolph Hitler to rally the German populist to its feet and restore Germany to its greatness. Hitler it was said was a failed artist who while in jail penned the masterpiece (Mien Kampf, he actually dictated it to Rudolph Hess while pacing around his prison cell in 1923-24 and later at an inn at Berchtesgaden.) that would become the political corner stone of Fascist propaganda. Hitler a failed artist, I think not. He was one of the most successful advertising executives in history. Had he not been such a bad boy he would be touted as such today. Hitler successfully mixed Ideological mythology, Aryan brotherhood, nights in shinning armor, righteous in their quest to recapture what was due them, the world. Corporate greed was their sword. It was the German industrialist who backed the party. The world would be theirs for the taking. Of course it turned out to be a hostile take over. The only problem was a large number of opposition party controlled the money. They where educated and morally objected to Hitler’s policies. Many of course were the Jews. So perfect was the plan so perfect was the ad campaign,they would become enemy number one, they were the threat. History we know. The Nazi’s controlled the media, not through force at first, their party membership owned it! And they used it to sequester any and all opposition. Soon Germany had only one voice all other were silenced to a whisper.

Today’s parallel between the NAZI propaganda machine is in the structure of current political propaganda, Ad Campaigns and the corporate media. The Nazi’s had the Jews. The Conservatives have the Liberals. The Nazi’s created enemy’s, most of Europe and its colony’s. The Conservatives have Terrorist, Iraq and most of the non friendlies in the Middle East and of course Liberals. The Nazi’s had the Ideological philosophies of the Righteous Knighthood bestowed upon them by right of birth in the first world. Hence the Aryan Brotherhood of which only birthright insured your membership. The Conservatives have Ideological philosophies of the Righteous Democracy known as the moral authority of the religious right mandated by the 2004 election.

From coast to coast FEAR has become the driving force in American Politics. Fear has so much so centralized political policy that 911 has become a focal point of conservative propaganda. The event on that September morning was horrific beyond question sending our nation into shock. Shock turned to anger and anger to vulnerability. How could this tragedy happen in America? Our current political leadership rushed to answer that question, “It is liberalism”. The War on Terror might as well be coined the War on Liberalism.  The Current Administration is using fear to control the population through our vulnerability to actions largely beyond our control. We are to believe that we need to be protected! Suddenly we needed a department of Home Land Security, a variety of new laws, including Patriot Acts I and II. Forget funding for local Police and Fire Departments or Health Care. And then of course we needed to attack the Terrorist where they live, so we invaded Afghanistan. Then it was on to Iraq, because of Saddam Hussein’s Weapons of Mass Destruction. Iraq was an immediate threat to our security and freedom. They the Iraqi’s had tons of Chemical and Biological weapon’s and maybe even the Bomb. Well we went; we conquered and were all safe. When we didn’t find any weapons of Mass Destruction and the current administration was questioned about the absence of WMD in Iraq, we were told 911. Was Iraq involved in the 911 attack? When the current administration could not produce any proof of Iraqi involvement in the September attacks they told us 911. When the Current administration introduced the Patriot Acts to protect us against terrorism and were questioned about the loss of personal rights to privacy and infringement of personal freedom, they answered 911. Our foreign policy is simply to introduce democracy where ever it is of economic interest to the current administration; the plan is titled the Bush Doctrine. It was penned largely by Paul Wolfowitz ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bush_Doctrine )back in the early 1990’s , I wonder if he just dictated it to Carl Rove, it was rejected by Poppa Bush.  It was reintroduced by the current administration post 911. Simply stated the Bush Doctrine advocates the expansion of democracy where ever it serves the interest of the United States;and that direct and unilateral action was both possible and justified and that America should embrace the opportunities for democracy and security offered by its position as sole remaining superpower. David Eubank Digitalmontage 2004 When questioned about these economic and military policies the current administration answered 911. Are there threats that we must pay attention too? Yes, there is real danger. The danger is our fear. Fear itself can and has undermined the very freedoms we all want to preserve. We need to look beyond the sound bite, beyond the commentary of the popular corporate mouth pieces and seek the real truth. And if we find that we don’t like the truth, then we need to correct our course. We as a free people must advocate for many voices to be heard. Not just a singular corporate media dominated by self serving propagandists. John Heartfield risked his life to publish his magazine covers for AIZ. He exposed the misguided principles of a nation gone mad a nation that eventually self destructed. Perhaps we have now come to another time where America needs to resurrect the Art of Conscience. Perhaps we have become a Corpernation. Something Stinks, digitalmontage 2004 by David Eubank

Filed under: Art, On Art, Photography, Politics, Uncategorized , Adolf Hitler, art history, Conservativism, DADA, German Art, Hate Politic's, John Heartfield, Liberalism, Modern Art, Nazi, Nazi Propaganda, News Media, Photomontage, Propaganda, War on Terror, WWII

Born in the USA, The Art of Propaganda Verses the Facts

 

Whoever Reads Bourgeois Newspapers Becomes Blind and Deaf: Away with These Stultifying Bandages!

• It was the 1930’s and artist John Heartfield warned the world about the media the propaganda machine of the Nazi party.

He warned the citizen about not checking the facts not looking for the truth. He warned about disinformation created by the Professional Media Propagandists designed to not only to twist the truth but to turn outright false information into the truth.

• Today we have well trained and professional Propagandists that cover the corporate controlled airwaves of radio, print and television with such vile content we can all be glad smell has not been incorporated into media presentation.

Take the latest attack against Barack Obama. It started with the allegations that Obama was not really born in the USA. Jerome Corsi alleged that Obama was not a citizen of the United States and that the Obama Campaign had forged documents, Obama’s birth certificate, and posted those false documents on his campaign website.

• To the rescue is Factcheck.org.

Factcheck.org is a nonpartisan, nonprofit,”consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in US politics, they monitor and check the facts of major political issues. http://www.factcheck.org/about

• Today News Week republished their findings on the question of Obamas birth place.

Born in the USA http://www.newsweek.com/id/154599 , you can also read the original story at the Factcheck.org website http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/born_in_the_usa.html

• In short the allegations that Barack Obama is not a citizen of the Untied States of America are false, outright lies in fact with no proof other than the spoken words of the propagandists.

The Propaganda mouth pieces for the conservative party are household names today, Bill O’reily, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Micheal Savage, Laura Ingraham and many many more. They make false statements, erroneous statements, then they persuade their audiences the statements are facts. Others like Jerome Corsi write books and they to turn fiction into fact in the minds of the ill-informed reader.

• Now I am not advocating for Barack Obama I am advocating for intelligent thoughtful investigation of a modern Propaganda machine that threatens the core of our very freedom.

As John Heartfield tried to warn the world about the Nazi Party and the real business of Hitler and the boys. Money and Power. I urge you to check the facts and check them with reliable sources.

• The Internet and the Blogshere are wondrous tools, but misused without a code of ethics, without the reader checking the facts they can and are true dangers to our freedom.

I find it incredible the very thing that has given us such freedom of speech and information is also the thing that may take it away.

• But the Internet may be the last place where “We The People” can find the truth because the mainstream media has been bought and sold and controlled.

I can’t be sure if these mega stars of the airwaves really believe what they are saying when they say it. I can’t be sure if they are directed by or controlled by the conservative Party. But what I can be sure of is they have lost sight of the truth, they have lost sight of objective reporting and they have lost sight of land, the land that is America.

• Don’t be a sheep, don’t be lead by wolves in sheep clothing.

I worked on an exhibit of John Heartfield’s work when I was an art student. I think it was then that I realized the power of the media and the power of propaganda. Read more about John Heartfield and his art at these websites. What do you think about the media?

http://www.towson.edu/heartfield/art/5.html

 

http://www.hatii.arts.gla.ac.uk/MultimediaStudentProjects/00-01/9703021w/mmcourse/project/html/frame%20two.htm

 

 

 

Filed under: Art, Art News, News, Photography, Politics , Barack Obama, Born in the USA, Conservative Propaganda, John Hearfield, NewsWeek