The image I will be analyzing is an anti-Obama poster currently being sold on Zazzle.com under the category of “Anti-Obama posters and prints.” The poster reads, “We’ve got what it takes to take what you’ve got” and depicts a curled hand reaching towards the audience; just below the hand Obama's face is etched in the center of a star. The target audience is conservatives who oppose Obama’s political ideology and policies, but who are old enough to remember the Cold War and the threat of communism. The artist goes by “Maksim” and is a Tea Party sympathizer; the Tea Party is a recent conservative political movement that supports limited government, fiscal responsibility, and free markets. Activists have a reputation of presenting extreme and fearful characterizations of Obama at rallies and protests (Obama as the joker, Hitler, etc.) In the same way, the poster’s artist has painted an insidious portrait of Obama by connecting him to an ideology and form of government once greatly feared in the United States. The poster’s style and symbolism invite the audience to associate Obama with communism, with the intent of filling them dread and motivating them to take more of a hard-line stance against his policies and presidency.
The communist symbolism and imagery paint a threatening picture of Obama. The star located at the bottom of the poster mirrors the star on the flag of the former Soviet Union. An impression of Obama’s face appears in the middle of the star, implying that Obama’s presidency is centered in communist theory. A hand reaches out, just above the star, encroaching upon the viewer’s space, looking as if it wants to grab you or snatch your possessions. While the hand is fearful in itself, it is also has communist undertones. “The worker” or proletariat is the backbone of Marxist theory. Farmers, factory workers, industrial laborers-- these professions were featured prominently in Soviet art, with the subjects’ hands accentuated. Furthermore, in socialist theory, the hand represents the five “classes” of the socialist utopia-- workers, farmers, intellectuals, soldiers, and youth.
The poster’s style and coloring reflect that of many Soviet propaganda posters. The majority of the poster is red, the primary color on the flags of both the Soviet Union and China. The bold lines of the star and the hand are also stylistically representational of Soviet art. Beyond that, the lines give the art an artificial quality, evoking conformity, and the loss of individuality. The artist plays with another Soviet symbol-- the rising sun, which is depicted at the center of the Soviet crest. The rays beam upward, symbolizing hope and a new day. Contrastingly, on the poster, the black triangular band that serves as the star’s background glares downward, bringing darkness instead of light. Lastly, the artist places a series of fearful words (“liberal,” “progressive,” “communist,” “statism.”) in the background to reinforce the poster’s visual elements. The font of these words is very similar to that seen in soviet art such as this.
The communist symbolism and imagery paint a threatening picture of Obama. The star located at the bottom of the poster mirrors the star on the flag of the former Soviet Union. An impression of Obama’s face appears in the middle of the star, implying that Obama’s presidency is centered in communist theory. A hand reaches out, just above the star, encroaching upon the viewer’s space, looking as if it wants to grab you or snatch your possessions. While the hand is fearful in itself, it is also has communist undertones. “The worker” or proletariat is the backbone of Marxist theory. Farmers, factory workers, industrial laborers-- these professions were featured prominently in Soviet art, with the subjects’ hands accentuated. Furthermore, in socialist theory, the hand represents the five “classes” of the socialist utopia-- workers, farmers, intellectuals, soldiers, and youth.
The poster’s style and coloring reflect that of many Soviet propaganda posters. The majority of the poster is red, the primary color on the flags of both the Soviet Union and China. The bold lines of the star and the hand are also stylistically representational of Soviet art. Beyond that, the lines give the art an artificial quality, evoking conformity, and the loss of individuality. The artist plays with another Soviet symbol-- the rising sun, which is depicted at the center of the Soviet crest. The rays beam upward, symbolizing hope and a new day. Contrastingly, on the poster, the black triangular band that serves as the star’s background glares downward, bringing darkness instead of light. Lastly, the artist places a series of fearful words (“liberal,” “progressive,” “communist,” “statism.”) in the background to reinforce the poster’s visual elements. The font of these words is very similar to that seen in soviet art such as this.
One of the most subtle visual elements of the poster is the depiction of Obama’s face within the star. The artist has drawn Obama’s face to resemble the famous “Obey Giant.” The Created by artist, Shepard Fairey, the “Obey giant” is an abstract picture of Andre the giant with the phrase “obey” written under it. Since its creation, the giant has become a worldwide phenomenon, appearing as street art in cities around the world. Despite its innocent-- even playful-- origins, when applied in this context, the reference takes on a more sinister meaning. The audience imagines Obama commanding us to “obey,” causing them to conceptualize him as an authoritarian leader such as Joseph Stalin (in keeping with the communist theme). Fairey also created the famous “Hope” poster for Obama’s 2008 campaign. This piece of knowledge causes the poster to take on another layer of meaning. By using Fairey’s earlier image, the artist drives home the notion that Obama is not the hopeful inspirational leader seen in his campaign poster, but an intimidating authoritarian one who wants you to “obey.”
The audience for this poster is already predisposed to have an unfavorable view of Obama. What the artist seeks to do is elevate the audience’s pessimism to fear by associating him with communism-- more specifically, the Soviet Union-- with the hope that they will be motivated to oppose Obama more vocally or join the Tea Party cause. The interpretation that will lead to this behavior is “If we don’t do something about it, Obama will turn this nation into a communist one.”
(Conclusion)
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