ROBBIE CONAL: STREETWISE: 35 Years of Politically Charged Guerrilla Art, visual proof you are not alone

ROBBIE CONAL: STREETWISE: 35 Years of Politically Charged Guerrilla Art
G. JAMES DAICHENDT (Foreword by Shepard Fairey)
Schiffer Publishing (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$45.00 hardcover, available now

Rating: 5* of five

The Publisher Says: With a foreword by Shepard Fairey, this is the definitive history of "America's foremost street artist" (Washington Post).

The politically charged art of Robbie Conal is gnarled, gut retching, and emotionally laden. Featuring every image in Robbie Conal’s storied poster campaigns, this is the definitive history of “America’s foremost street artist” (Washington Post). A foreword by Shepard Fairey, American contemporary street artist, graphic designer, and activist, sets the scene. Conal's satirical posters of political figures are given richer context as his life story is insightfully joined with art criticism by expert Daichendt. Today honored by museums and arts organizations around the world, Conal hit high speed during the Reagan administration in 1986, when he began turning his grotesque portraits into street posters. We see Conal's life come together at a critical moment to attack issues of censorship, war, social injustice, and the environment.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: Do I need to explain why this book is on my #Booksgiving list? Look at the art.

You tell me why a book like this is a worthy gift item for your lefty giftee in need of heartening proof they are not alone in seeing the world this way.

No one's career starts out in high gear. We're tracing Conal's development in this book.

...but even as an ornamental object, not a subject of art-world interest to the recipient, this will gladden the heart of anyone saddened, enraged, or simply ground down by 2025's world.

"You are not alone" and "It's happened before and we made it through" are empowering and important messages to send, and to receive.