Iconic Obama Artwork Finds a Home

bill-tb---
the lies and hate will not hold him down. your hate and ill-will is no kryptonite. not all the hate in this country, which there is ample, plenty of will not hold him down. your late-night prayers of hatred and betrayel will be deaf to a God who wishes to hear no more hatred and intolerance. He, the Almighty showed what he thought of patty, racist bigotry on November 4. tomorrow we will become a better nation.

sam---

bow in the presence of greatness.

The artist is not copying Warhol. Do some research. Fairey is copying propaganda portraits used in the Soviet Union, China, and South and Central America.
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Luang- I'd recommend that you read the interview online with between Fairey and the Smithsonian. I was relating the portrait to Warhol because of its size and various visual features, but Fairey is an urban street artist who is used to mural sized paintings. He says during the interview that he sought to convey vision, confidence, and patriotism. Interestingly, the red and blue sides of the face represent the coming together of the red and blue states. Despite the many fears and attempts to tie the portrait to socialism or communism, I have confidence that the art historians and curators at the National Gallery would not include a presidential portrait that espoused socialist ideologies or represented demagoguery in any form.

"Never mind the 2000 and 2004 unresolved voting counts"

No those were resolved. Thanks for playing.

However it never was resolved how Obama got 0 votes in Harlem verses Charlie Rangle. Instead it was hushed up.

"you'll have to forgive me kathy bc the behavior i see the majority of the time was not dignity."

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JN - I was referring to the early Bush years mainly when those who were concerned were not a particularly visible group; that is, until the Iraq War became incipient. There was also hardly blogging going on around the first few years of the millennium. Now a lot of strong opinion and contention gets expressed these days on blogs, and upon examination, most of the divisiveness and rage is coming from those who were supportive of the ideology and doctrines of the Bush era.

There's a clear association with many of the posts here of Obama to demagoguery and figures like Mao, Stalin, et al. Never mind the 2000 and 2004 unresolved voting counts; especially, the police blockades in AA population areas of Florida in 2000. How about the Bush attempts at Total Information Awareness, which would have consisted of an enormous data base of information on each citizen, or TIPS a program where you turn in "suspicious" behavior of neighbors or co-workers. How about Americans with virtually no criminal records being targeted by the TSA in airports? So to make a history filled eight years shorter, it's beyond reason and decency that some people, who know nothing about Americana, are denouncing a presidential portrait as being a symbol of the dictatorial and Communism.

"'Get over it guys and get with the program.'

- Isn't that pretty much what O'Brien said to Winston Smith in Room 101?" ~ kj

Oooooh, snap!

I respect the Office of the Presidency and I hope Obama does not change the United States into a more socialistic society. Unfortunately, enshrining this propaganda style portrait into the National Portrait Gallery does nothing to alleviate my fears.

The artist is not copying Warhol. Do some research. Fairey is copying propaganda portraits used in the Soviet Union, China, and South and Central America. It is a disturbing representation of a democratically elected president.

A US president should be respected, not worshipped. Read up on your American and World History.

I find the lack of generosity and decency as represented on this forum completely appalling, something that verges on the juvenile and the hate filled. America grow up. What a negative bunch of carpers and whiners. Try doing something positive for your community rather than plumping up your self-righteous egos on here. Pathetic.

By the way Samir...Your democrat buddies are terrorist sympathizers and since these weak dems are in power we will be attacked....weak weak weak..it's a known fact. When the treaty for the Bosnian war was signed by Dems the made sure the there wouldn't be any War Criminals...Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic says he made a deal with the United States to disappear from public life in exchange for immunity from the war crimes tribunal he's currently facing. This is the Democrats way of dealing with a problem..just go away...JOKE! WEAK WEAK!!!

U.S Brokered A Deal With Killers...HAHA! Only Democrats would pull this crap!

Not to worry people, God is watching and those who worship Obama like he is some sort of god is a ticket straight to hell! Read the ten commandments and remind the suppose Christian Obama that he is not God and does not represent him. Obama is a Crook From Cook County..it's a ten percent sales tax there...it's the Chicago way....they are scratching backs!

I think if you do not support the President and/or wish him to fail, I think you are a terrorist or at least a sympathizer of our enemies.

Democracy is over. The politicians and the people have freely opted to vote themselves money and power derived from the honest property of those who have it. For thousands of years it was called envy. Now they knowingly give near unlimited power to a man whose moral credentials include demanding the aggressive murder of "born" innocent babies, once they escape the evil of the abortionist's chamber of horrors. We hnave never voted before for a man with such a slimey background of associations. Previous generations -not raised on American Idol and sex and ec-worship. It isn't that the masses are being manipulated as much as that they wish to ve lied to. He will do whatever he chooses and it wont be good for America. To adore this cult like figure and his imagery, is to reject sanity.

all those facts i gave were true though.

:)

but i wish us good luck.

and god speed.

I had to say it. It was a Sean Connery "The Rock" moment. Now that's a guy I love. Who wouldn't love a scottish accent like his. or irish one at that.

you'll have to forgive me kathy bc the behavior i see the majority of the time was not dignity. but then again obviously i don't know or see everyone's behavior, but if yours was, i commend you on yours.

is that sarcasm? i'm not sure.

and kathy:
ahh kathy kathy kathy. if you say so.

"Andy Warhol did portraits of Reagan, Nixon, Carter and many other political figures . .. I guess they should all be removed from art institutes?"
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It's not the painting people are lashing out against. It's just something convenient to represent their disappointment. It's been a long eight years for those of us who knew a lot better, and I must say, we bore our disappointment and our fears with far greater dignity. Given the climate of the time with the "you're for us or against us" rhetoric and the warrantless spying on Americans, sometimes out of caution alone, we elected to remain quiet. I know personally of abuses and intrusions into the lives of ordinary Americans during the Bush administration. So I think my patience has finally been exhausted by reading all these ironic projections of Communism onto a presidential portrait.

good on you JN . ..

and pefros, i apologize for my "get facts right" comment. it was snide and rude and not the way to have a civil debate. and i'm serious, debates aren't constructive if words like that are used.

forget it. tell you what, i will wish you and our new (as of tuesday) President good luck, and in 4 (or 1/2 at this rate) years i'll meet you in the soup lines and you can tell me how wrong i was.

believe me, i want to be wrong. i would rather be proven wrong then have my youth spent in a time like the great depression.

Andy Warhol did portraits of Reagan, Nixon, Carter and many other political figures . .. I guess they should all be removed from art institutes?

JN- Whoa! You're taking up a lot of space. Can you tone down the rectangle along with your self-inflation some?