The Praxis
Study Companion
A more latent message related to identity
has to do with race. Obama was the first
African American to be so successful in a
presidential campaign, causing many artists
to emphasize the color of his skin and
celebrate his unique race and what an
accomplishment it would be for Obama to
be the first African-American president.
Fairey, however, did not color Obama’s skin
brown. His stenciled, linear portrait of a flat,
graphic quality was filled in with red, white,
and blue: the colors that have come to
symbolize the United States of America. The
message that Fairey was conveying was that
race and ethnicity were not the central
characteristics of Obama’s identity. Instead,
his allegiance to the United States and his
patriotism defined who he was.
The graphic style that I described may also
have conveyed an even more subtle
message. If Obama was “flat” (just like his
blocky, unmodeled portrait), then he was
dependable, without any hidden agendas or
facets to his identity that were not clear and
public. Visually, Fairey’s portrait “HOPE” tells
voters that what you see is what you get.
Commentary on Response That
Received a Score of 3
The response includes a clear, logical, and
insightful rendering of how a portrait can
convey both political and racial identity by
using a clearly identified and appropriate
example, Shepard Fairey’s poster HOPE. For
these reasons, a score of 3, indicating “High
Degree of Competence,” is merited.
Specifically, there is a rich abundance of
visual evidence in the analysis of HOPE. The
test taker remarks that Fairey emphasized
Obama’s political identity by “not color[ing]
Obama’s skin brown. His stenciled, linear
portrait of a flat, graphic quality was filled
with red, white, and blue: the colors that
have come to symbolize the United States
of America.” Another comment deals
directly with race: “race and ethnicity were
not the central characteristics of Obama’s
identity.” Further support is provided in the
analytical statement, “If Obama was ‘flat’
(just like his blocky, unmodeled portrait)
then he was dependable . . . Visually,
Fairey’s portrait ‘HOPE’ tells voters that what
you see is what you get.”
In summary, a response with a high degree
of competence includes analysis that is
clear, logical, and insightful. It goes beyond
mere description and general statements to
produce a compelling analysis of the
chosen work, directly answering the issues
raised by the question.
Sample Response That Received a
Score of 2
Sam Taylor-Wood is a contemporary,
London-based artist whose work consists of
photography and film. In her recent series
Self Portrait Suspended (2004), Taylor-
Wood seeks to address issues relevant to
women, such as body image, identity, and
women’s roles in society. Of particular
importance is Sam Taylor-Wood’s battle
against breast cancer.