New Obama Portrait Offers Revisionist History

President Obama had a packed and star studded crowd gathered for his inauguration in Washington D.C. By all accounts it was a monumental day, but imagine how much more awesome it would have been if a ton of dead people showed up to cheer him on. Artist Andy Thomas did just that, painting the President delivering his acceptance speech to a crowd that includes Rosa Parks, Abe Lincoln, John F. Kennedy Jr., Lyndon Johnson, Frederick Douglass, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Carson Daly in the bottom right corner. The painting, titled “Change,” is available as a print, giclee on canvas and even a jigsaw puzzle if you want to make this historical occasion even more confusing. |OAR|

Obama Particle Art Created From Complex Algorithms

Belgian-based multimedia developer Ward De Langhe is what’s known as a generative artist. His work is “created using algorithms and maths” that are written in language called ActionScript. Anyway, it’s still an emerging field and hard to master, which makes this portrait he did of President Obama even more impressive. Langhe describes what sounds like an alien process:
Read more »

Barack Obama: “Breakfast of Champion”

President Barack Obama! Is he a “modern messiah in the world of politics or marketing?” That’s the question that art duo Hank Willis Thomas and Ryan Alexiev hope to invoke with this portrait aptly titled, “Breakfast of Champion.” It was created from “thousands of cereal bits” and according to the artists’ statement, the “piece appropriates the religious imagery of Byzantine mosaics to create a sugar cereal image of President Obama” to explore the role that marketing plays in creating both corporate and political brands. Smartly, the image is available both as a cheapy poster or an expensive print.

Barack Obama Linocut Inspired By ‘Cocoon’?

Here’s a perfect submission for badpaintingsofbarackobama.com. This lincocut from artist Josh Stein was printed on Japanese ‘Goyu’ paper and designed to give the 44th President of the United States a “folk art” look, but all we can think about is that dying alien from Cocoon after the old people pool hopped at Walter’s house and absorbed all the water’s life-sustaining powers. |Obama Art Report|

Obama’s Giant Beach Head Now Available As A Print

During the presidential election, artist Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada went big and created a massively oversized portrait of Barack Obama on a Spanish beach front made from gravel, sand and pebbles. It measured longer than a football field and was designed with the intent of being viewable from Google Earth. The artist is now offering the ‘EXPECTATION’ project in a more manageable size, as prints: one vertical (21.7″ x 31.5″), one horizontal (31.5″ x 25.6″). They were released as an edition of 250 and come signed/numbered. Click below for the vertical version of the president’s face made out of dirt.

Read more »

America’s Black President Shoots Back

There’s no background information on this print of Barack Obama menacingly pointing a pistol, but considering the vintage stylings and the incorporation of JFK’s infamously non-bullet proof limousine, we’re assuming that artist Matt Dye is making a statement about the nation’s first black president shooting back at would be assassins. Or if the NAACP and Reverend Al had their way, cartoonists too. |Obama Art Report|

Depicting President Obama and His Hip Hop Crew

Pundits love to call Bill Clinton the country’s first “black president,” but Barack Obama is clearly the country’s first Hip Hop president with relevant rappers dropping his name on tracks before and after the election. Artist Miami Kaos highlights this comraderie and affection with a portrait (see it big) of the prez flanked by Diddy, Ludacris (?), Jay-Z, and Young Jeezy. |Obama Art Report|

Snobama Gets Stomped

Not only does Summit County have some of the best snowriding resorts in Colorado, but it also has backcountry gems like Loveland Pass where this oversized Snobama was created by foot. According to this firsthand account it took three people seven hours to stomp out the presidential depiction of Barack Obama.
|Photo: phatcityslash|

Seedy Obama Portrait

Although it’s certainly interesting that artist Manick Sorcar used seeds as a medium to create this portrait of President Barack Obama, we’re really digging the fact that it’s not just another replica of Shepard Fairey’s stolen HOPE image like so many have done already. This guy was motivated though, writing on his website, “To me, President Obama represents a seed of hope. Despite the challenges he faced throughout his life, he grew into a remarkable man who now holds the highest office in the greatest nation on earth.” Detailed shots after the jump.

Read more »

Illustrating The Art of Obama

With all the success the newspapers enjoyed with their Barack Obama victory covers, it’s no surprise that magazines would continue to follow suit—at this point it feels like the president is the only thing keeping that paper medium relevant. So it makes sense that upscale African-American magazine UPTOWN would offer three “collectible” covers featuring creative renditions of Obama. They accompany a cover story about the “growing popularity of artists motivated by Barack Obama’s historic Presidential campaign,” with article author Michael A. Gonzales describing the country’s new president as “Bono, Jay-Z and Che Guevara wrapped into one perfect package.” Artists Chris Cox and Rafael Lopez were commissioned to create the colorful covers. Click below for larger versions.

Read more »