Today we have the release of the sixth Jackie Robinson card made for the Topps Project 2020 set. It was created by Brooklyn-based artist/muralist Eric Friedensohn -- better known as Efdot. He is noted for illustrations and murals that are often colorful, simple and optomistic. In fact, his website uses the moniker "Art for Optomist" on the front page. Per an interview at Hypebeast:Lastly, what’s the story behind your “Optimist” slogan?
About four years ago, my whole apartment in Manhattan burned down and it was the most shocking experience that I’ve had and it made me realize what was important to me. One of the things that survived was a couple of pieces of art and one of them said “Optimist.” It was inside my scanner and half-melted. It was just a big sign for me and it made me remember why I’m doing what I do in the first place
As you can see his remake of Jackie Robinson's rookie card uses a black background and borders that encircle Jackie Robinson's portrait. Surrounding him are all kinds of symbols that reflect Jackie's message and past.At the top right is the word "justice" and just below that is an blue outline of a fist reaching up to the sky like the 1972 Olympic Black Power salute done by Vincent Matthews and Wayne Collett. To its left is what looks like an over-sized challenge coin, featuring a sliding Robinson (similar to the statue at Dodger Stadium) and the words, "Life Is Not A Spectator Sport." Below that is a shattered bat and an emblem representing old Ebbets Field. There's also a patch on Jackie's right shoulder, but I can't make it out. On his left collar are the US Army pins you often see when checking out pics of Robinson in his military uniform (see on the right). My favorite bit of flair is the use of the Kansas City Monarch logo -- Jackie played for them in the Negro Leagues. Efdot places it right in the middle of Jackie's name. Overall, this might be my favorite card released so far.
Go here to check the card out and order. A complete checklist of all the cards in the set can be found here. You can also follow the artist on Instagram: @efdot and Twitter: @EfdotStudio. His website is here: efdotstudio.com. Below is a current Jackie Robinson checklist of Topps Project 2020 cards with their corresponding artist and print runs:
- #3 - Naturel -- (link here) -- 1,302 print run
- #31 - Sophia Chang -- (link here) -- 2,741 print run
- #42 - Blake Jamieson -- (link here) -- 2,980 print run
- #79 - Mister Cartoon -- (link here) -- 11,643 print run
- #98 - Joshua Vides -- (link here) -- 20,219 print run
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