1984

So today, along with probably all my classmates, I started the novel 1984 by George Orwell. We were only assigned the first 20 or so pages and thats as far as I read. But from that little snippet introduction to the novel and the story I can immediately tell that I am going to enjoy reading this novel. Why? Besides being a classically good book, it relates to so much of the art movements seen today in the contemporary modern scene.

Who? I am referencing Shepard Fairey. Many people don't know who he is but they know his work. His most widely publicized piece of art is the Obama poster with any variety of captions including "Hope" & "Change." If you attend high school you have undoubtedly seen kids wear his shirts with the distinct red and beige stenciled-out prints. But the one I have to relate to 1984 is his famous print of Andre the Giant with the command OBEY below it.

Of course the famous thing taken from George Orwell's 1984 is the phrase "Big Brother is Watching You." The novel revolves around the idea of an ever-present totalitarian government that strives off of propaganda and mind control. This phrase and the subsequent relation of big government to "Big Brother" is present in pop culture and referenced often.

I knew of Shepard Fairey through mainly his clothing brand which is also named Obey. Yet when I watched the Banksy documentary "Exit Through the Gift Shop" (you really should see it if possible here is the trailer) I learned a lot more about Mr. Fairey, his philosophy, and his artwork. I learned that the initial print of his famous Andre the Giant OBEY poster was meant to be somewhat of a social experiment. He came across the idea that if something is is repeated enough times, people will accept it as true. So to test this he put up posters, sticker, stencils, whatever he could of the Giant and the script OBEY. Apparently people eventually began to ask about it and what it meant and all that. He was an underground celebrity and a founder in the underground art scene. His depictions of fascist leaders, social corruption, and the degradation of morals show the problems in the world that he sees today and for the future.

I think George Orwell (Eric Blair) was the 1940's equivalent to our Shepard Fairey. I think his political and social ideas were very similar to the ideas of Fairey. I really feel that if Orwell were alive today the type of messages that he would send in his medium of literature would be eerily similar to the motivation and ideology found behind Shepard Fairey's work. I saw this mural by Fairey which reminded me of The Party's three mottos in Orwell's 1984: "War is Peace, Slavery is Freedom, Ignorance is Strength." I think this art piece really shows a connection between the two artists.

I found out after I wrote this blog, while searching for pictures to put in it, that in fact Fairey has made large murals and prints with the quote "Big Brother is Watching You." He also made special edition covers for Orwell's two most famous pieces: Animal Farm and 1984. So apparently my insight was not that profound or unique, but I definitely wanted to share it.