Political art sometimes has a way of catching the zeitgeist. I thought Shepard Fairey's Hope poster did so in 2008. Great art can also be awesome because it references and pays homage to other great works of art, in this case art that was also political--not to mention comical. And this certainly does that, so I thought some of you fellow politics buffs might find this interesting and amusing.
You can find the facebook page (where I found it) of the artist, Renee Adele, and give "likes," loves, kudos, snaps, and other acclamations to the artist herself here. More on why I think this is awesome after the curlycues.
The things that struck me about this were, first, of course, the obvious and hilarious Monty Python and The Holy Grail reference. But, this does take that shared common comedic experience--from a dialog about the role of democratic governance, executive power, and oppression, no less--and makes it more current and relevant to our present situation. On some level the words are also true, no? The times are feisty and agitated, the country restless, and everyone is looking for the Return of the King who can unite the land's divisions--and increasingly ready to pass out the proverbial swords to fight for him if he does (or to defend themselves if he doesn't show up soon).
In 2008, Fairey's poster was apt because I think much of the country hoped for something far removed from Bush Republicanism (ie, change) under Obama, before we'd had a chance to see Obama govern himself, and thus our hope of the time was more centered on one person. But, Obama, as good as he may be compared to the other guys, has still been something of a disappointment to many who had such faith in his abilities in 2008 to stand up for justice and progressive values, no matter how much conservatives might hate him for it (since they would've always hated him anyway, no matter what he did). Regardless, the hope of the country is less centered on one person, or even one political party now, in 2012, because most every governing institution and party has discredited itself to some degree, more or less, at this point. And it is an ironic poster, expressing a vain hope, because we already know the choices we will have for our democratic version of Supreme Leader in November, and we know that, short of Obama finding his inner Excalibur, there likely won't be any King Arthur figure to vote for on the ballot in 2012, no matter who wins the Republican nomination.
Still, given what the political system seems to be producing these days, sometimes it does seem that picking a supreme leader via a farcical aquatic ceremony wherein some watery tart lobs a scimitar at you might be less crazy than the farce of a system we have now. Simpler, certainly.
Briefly worded, funny, and ironic, it is a commentary on the farce our politics has become, thereby capturing an aspect of the current national mood. And to me, that makes it art, both relevant and enjoyable. I want one printed up as a bumpersticker, myself.
Again, if you also enjoyed this as I did, please give some props to the artist, Renee Adele.