Politics

Shepard Fairey Reimagines Obama

By Brian Montopoli

August 5, 2009 / 5:51 PM EDT / CBS News

(Rolling Stone)

Shepard Fairey, the artist behind the iconic "Hope" poster of President Obama, has created a new image of the president that seems somewhat more ambiguous than his previous effort.

The illustration, which graces the cover of the latest issue of Rolling Stone, shows a pensive Mr. Obama staring into the distance. Around his head are these words: "Will he take BOLD ACTION or COMPROMISE too easily?"

Though the words appear in what might be considered a halo, Fairey told the New York Daily News that it is actually meant to be the president standing in front of the presidential seal.

"It's one thing to be running for president and it's another to be president and I think this new illustration that I did hopefully captures the complexity and the weight of his new role," he told the newspaper.

(The Advocate)

He added that the illustration is in part meant "to say the jury still's out on whether this President will live up to his promise."

In other Obama cover news, gay magazine The Advocate has played with Fairy's image for the cover of its latest issue, which replaces the word "Hope" with "Nope."

"He was our greatest hope, but he has yet to deliver," reads the cover line, which teases a story that discusses how the president has largely been a disappointment to the gay community.