I found this graffiti near the Centre Beaubourg, so I suppose it counts as "art" no? It was done by an artist known as "Mr. Brainwash" aka Thierry Guetta (see his excellent website here). Even as I sit here on the other side of the world from Paris, I can tell you that Obamamania is alive and well. What do you think of the craze?
I do hope the craze won't stop. Instead that would probably mean he (and his team) failed and seriously that would be worrying...
ReplyDeleteI prefer to hear from 'Yes we (still) can' and believe in 'Superman' though I know noone is one -- apart ... a friendly Parisian we all know here of course ;)
I hope that the mania continues. It's great to finally have a president we are proud of instead of ashamed of. I just pray he can live up to the hype and really be our hero.
ReplyDeleteOf course I consider graffiti art! I think this one shows true feeling on the part of the artist.I hope MBW doesn"t get in trouble like Shepard Fairy (OBEY) has by using someone else's photo for Obama's face, but in the end , Shepard Fairy is suing the Associated Press first!!! Too long a story to get into here.
ReplyDeleteObamamania? Rush Limbaugh was quite negative in his assesment yesterday. Skewered facts,I could hardly listen to him without my blood starting to boil, but I also say be wary of unbridled enthusiasm,on the otherside. Please, just give the man a chance.
I think I am an easy but proud GF today :)) Woo hoo!!!
ReplyDeleteHope he lives up to everyone's expectations. I certainly wouldn't want to live under the weight of them!
ReplyDeleteHard to tell if the graffitist is for or against ;)
ReplyDeleteHope for all of us that Obama can manage to live up to even only 1/2 of the expectations.
The Obamania never entirely got to me for some reason, but I do have to admit that it is heartwarming and refreshing to see people who ordinarily have no voice, participate in the process and start believing in themselves, because after all, Obama's election - for the many people who donated even just a dollar or two to his campaign - means just that, it means that they, too, could make a difference.
I sure hope this Administration knows what it's doing.
I think it is a very good thing for the mental health of Americans! I love this, especially the face in b/w contrasting to the coloured suit. I am drawn to this man's face - it is a good face, an honest face.
ReplyDeleteFlore, congrats! Do you have a cape to match your crown?
ReplyDeleteIt has a frame so it must be art ;) I like the pop art feel. And his website is sensational!
Street Art (graffiti) is most definitely art! And if you think about it, it is the oldest form of art: beginning with cave and canyon wall drawings centuries ago.
ReplyDeleteIt looks a bit too much like Shepard Fairey's now Obama posters for me to consider it "original", but it is very cool indeed!
As for the man himself (Obama) I didn't get into the Obama-mania like some did, but I have been keeping my eye on him, reading his resolutions, listening to his speeches, etc. and so far I think he's on the right track. There's too much pressure on him to BE superman though and that is hard to live up to.
Better a Superman suit than nailed to a cross ;-)
ReplyDeleteGood graffiti is art, bad graffiti is vandalism.
Never got into the mania. I voted Republican (am I still allowed to post here?)But I hope he can do the job. Right now, no matter what he does, many people will no like it. I am not qualified to say if his decisions are good or bad. Wait and see.
A little too early for sainthood.
ReplyDeletePlease! When he flies through the air and leaps tall buildings in a single bound, get back to me!
ReplyDeleteLove it.
ReplyDeleteWent to his Inauguration, and experienced the "new" way of thinking and acting - massive crowds of genuinely nice people, all polite to one another and chatting with strangers as if they were friends, people helping people whenever needed. Here's hoping Obama can bring a similar friendliness and spirit of humanity to the political arena so our leaders can work together to make good change happen.
Faster than a speeding marxist ... more powerful than a red locomotive....able to deceive gullible stupid Americans and create a 700 trillion deficit in a single bound.... WOW he's my hero !!!
ReplyDeleteIn my lifetime I have never seen a president of either party actually sit down and do what he said he was going to do. Campaigns have always been lies before now. Whether or not you agree with his policies, the fact that President Obama has stood by his campaign promises -- going down a checklist and doing the things he said he was going to do -- renews my faith in America. And my faith has been stomped on by a lifetime of politicians of all political stripes.
ReplyDeleteWe asked for something different. We're getting it. The old way did not work --obviously! Look where it got us! I'm willing to give the new way a chance.
An Obama in the land is better than two more of Bush. ;-) (~Nostradamus' younger brother)LOL
ReplyDeleteI hope that the Republican Party hasn't adopted Lush Rimbaugh as its new spokesperson...I have been so enjoying Sarah Palin's rise to the top of Mount GOP...hate to see that fade. LOL On the other hand, listening to a few minutes of Rush's babble does make one realize why getting a university education does matter or should. Lest I be too harsh, I must give this egomaniac his due. For, this Southeast Missouri State University dropout has managed to reel in a lot of the American "booboisie" with his libertarian rantings and "bootstrap" mentality. I think this speaks volumes more about his listeners who buy into his raves. And we all thought George Babbitt was dead. ;-) He lives and speaks louder than ever in the voice of Rush Limbaugh.
Nobody is superman. That's silly. I think it's an example if relativity. After eight years of illiterate buffoonery, anyone who can assemble an intelligible sentence seems like superman.
ReplyDeleteAfter the incredible, shameful stupidity we have been through, and that so many people supported like the Monty Python scenes of ignorant medieval peasants, any gullibility comment rings hollow.
Most people here have the integrity to sign their comments. Some do not. This is emblematic. My approach from now on: don't pay them any attention, it just encourages them.
Beu deu geu deu. Pff.
Like Christie I hope he can live up to it. He certainly has a presence about him and says the stuff we all want to hear. Let's just hope HE CAN.
ReplyDeletePetrea I found some of those beauty queen shots...;)
I think this discussion is exactly what the artist intend to provoke. Some believe him to be a Superman whereas others might mock this belief. Let's all help keep the kryptonite away though shall we?! I love the photo Eric and enjoyed your (possibly missed) joke about art near the Centre Pompidou! LoL
ReplyDeleteHe is my hero !
ReplyDeletePetrea you put it so well and that counts not only for Americans, but for the rest of us in this world as well.
LOL Michael, you've got a point !
h he Michael yes I missed it. If you speak to Eric, tell him to pop over to Cheltenham as I'm in my bikini. ;) cheeky as ever. :)
ReplyDelete"Most people here have the integrity to sign their comments. Some do not. This is emblematic. My approach from now on: don't pay them any attention, it just encourages them."
ReplyDeleteGood point, Jeff!
Yeah, I missed that joke too. You've got some explaining to do, Michael ;)
Ah, everyone is entitled to their opinions.
ReplyDeleteThis Superman likeness is nothing though. I saw a birthday card which had Obama all dressed up in robes with a halo around his head, citing him as the second coming.
I think the important thing to remember here is that Obama is not claiming to be Superman or anything similar. This is being put upon him and it will be impossible to live up to. I'll bet he hates it.
It's amazing how many Europeans love this man.
ReplyDeleteIt's an exciting time for Americans. We needed a change badly.
I hope this is still there when we come to Paris in September!
Fabulous!
How you see this graffiti/art depends on where you're coming from and it certainly sums up both the hopes and fears for the Obama Presidency which have been expressed in the comments today.
ReplyDeleteI hope he makes it (many will try to ensure that he fails). He will undoubtedly face many problems and setbacks but politics should be about one's underlying beliefs and he seems to be one of the 'good guys' in this respect.
So,from a registered cynic as far as politics is concerned, I wish him well.
Anyone remember the old Superman tv show?
ReplyDelete"Fighting for truth, justice, and the American way!"
Pretty funny, looking back at the maudlin slogans of old shows.
When I loaned the suit to Barack, I didn't think it would fit so well!!
Hello....
ReplyDeleteReligion and Politics... subjects that never talk... cause is troubles... LOL
but is a good picture... ohhh nooo wait... is a picture of a paint or drawing... Graffiti is so different here in Mex...
Bisous...
You've got my vote, Eric.
ReplyDeleteC'est drole parce que Superman est invente par un Canadien.
ReplyDeleteI've seen this here in Los Angeles. i love how they spread around the world.
ReplyDeleteBut as for how I feel about him, it's hard to express how happy I am that he is President.
Superman is a fictional character, a comic book superhero widely considered to be an American cultural icon. The important word here is fictional. ~ Z
ReplyDeleteThat's a great photo. I love it.
ReplyDeleteI can't think of any iconic works of art portraying any other US president offhand (maybe photos but not actual works of art) but Obama has already inspired one, and now maybe two. Wonder if this one will end up in the Smithsonian too?
As for the craze, I hope it lasts too. I've become so accustomed to feeling a sense of disappointment, even dread, with every sitting president that to have this optimism, this genuine hope, fade any time soon will be tragic. I'll have to move to Paris ;-)
Cheryl
Misplaced.
ReplyDeleteEric, "What do you think of the craze?" I think Obama is a good president, and I think he is having a positive effect on the US, and the world because of his determination to make things right.
ReplyDeleteMr. Brainwash is too much influenced by Andy Warhol. He needs to find his "own" style. Soul searching as they say. It's tough and hard to resist the easy way out. I checked out his "Life is Beautiful" show. Mr. Brainwash is too late with this style of art. We were doing this in NYC in Soho in the 1960's, 1970's and 1980's. Maybe Mr. Brainwash can sell the world a commercialized watered-down version of what was once cutting-edge. My favorite under-dog artists in this genre in NYC were Alan Vega and Martin Rev a/k/a Suicide. I use to think that their installation pieces looked like Dooms Day, they were massive. Picture a loft with debris of all sorts, televisions overturned and piled up on the floor blinking their last televised news clips through static and haze; wires and cables and an eerie sort of lighting. And then the music also revolutionary. They were incredible. Way ahead of their time. And Alan Vega was definitely the under-dog of the NYC art scene. He was wild, arrogant and usually drunk. Had a very passionate personality. Although some galleries in Soho did show his work -- Very brave of them. But it just wasn't the same in a gallery as it was in the loft. Ah, to be young again, and built of steel.
It's great the rest of the world is taking so much interest in the US President considering what he does while in office can (and will) have an impact beyond American borders.
ReplyDeleteHe's in over his head!
ReplyDelete1. Eric: Thanks for the enjoyable photos! I've been reading your site for a year, and I'm learning a lot about Paris! We're living here temporarily (3 years) and YOU helped me prepare! IMHO, you were brave to ask us what we think about Obama!
ReplyDelete2. re: Obamamania - When has France or the rest of the world wanted what was BEST for America? I'm discouraged by his socialistic agenda.
~Colibri
I guess PT Barnum was right when he said there's a sucker born every minute.
ReplyDeleteWhy would anyone be wild for Obama when his cabinet consists entirely of Wall Street crooks? When he has refused to hold Bush Administration criminals accountable? When he breaks every campaign promise he ever made...
Watch the new film Obama Deception.
Don't be a fool, please.
Let's stop the politics. That's not what these blogs are for!
ReplyDelete