Artists for Obama: Is this stuff any good?

A few weeks ago I noticed that Greg Allen had dipped into the Obama store to buy for a Jonathan Hoefler print. I wondered: Is any of the work at the Obama campaign's Artists for Obama site any, well, good?

First: What is this Artists for Obama part of the Obama store anyway? It's just like any other prints store: For a 'donation' of $60-$2,500, you can buy a limited-edition print with an Obama theme. A really clear, beat-you-over-the-head-with-it CHANGE-style Obama theme. (Note: The Obama store's efforts are different from approximately umpteen other 'artists for Obama' sites and efforts. I'll have links to many of those this afternoon.)

The Obama store features Rafael Lopez, Lance Wyman, Gui Borchert, Robert Indiana, Lou Stovall, Antar Dayal, Scott Hansen, Shepard Fairey and Hoefler. (Work by unlinked artists is sold out.) Most of the work tends more toward graphic design or illustration rather than art -- no surprise given that it's made as a campaign fundraiser.

The Hoefler is the best piece. It vaguely reminds me of a reverse-Ligon, but with a hopeful Obaman twist. It also recalls the opening of a sci-fi film, perhaps the animated opening to Star Wars. It's also blue. Blue is the Obama campaign color. Blue tends to look good on things. It's really quite nice.

The Indiana is, of course, a riff on Indiana's famous Love. Love, hope, same diff. The Lopez is classic illustration-with-a-sunburst. It almost screams out si se puede. The Dayal is more of the same. The Wyman is 1970s graphic design retro-cool. It's catchy, but it's more Emerson, Lake and Palmer than Led Zeppelin. The Borchet seems to be inspired by a blog-style word-cloud. The Stovall is, er, probably printed with NutraSweet, an unfortunate reminder that too much hope-speak can mask substance. The Hansen looks like it's ready to be an iced tea label, but heck, everyone likes iced tea. And of course, the Fairey-for-the-campaign is very Obey (the Giant Obama head).

Notably: None of it is about the other guy, a la Warhol's Vote McGovern.

Related: Have your own favorite Obama art? Share it on BuzzFeed.