One, from the American Dream Portfolio 1997

Robert Indiana made "One, from the American Dream Portfolio" using screenprint, and its high-key color and hard edge is a sign of its time. It looks super flat, almost like it was printed on a t-shirt, but that just makes it even more interesting, right? The way the colors bump up against each other creates a vibration – like a psychedelic poster. The number “one” is broken up by a series of star shapes and geometric forms in a super-saturated palette. It's as if the artist is playing with ideas of Americana. Pop art is tricky because, on the one hand, it’s embracing the visual language of mass culture. But at the same time, it’s playing with our understanding of symbolism, and, like all great art, leaves space for us to bring our own experiences and interpretations to the table. Like Warhol, Indiana was working at a moment where art was exploding out of the studio and into the streets.