Hope 2008

This is Robert Indiana’s screenprint entitled “Hope,” and what a message! With that tilted "O," the word seems to be somersaulting forward with optimism. I can imagine Indiana, with his stencil in hand, carefully layering those bold blocks of color. Red, blue and white are such loaded colors – so full of history, but here they are deployed with the graphic punch of Pop Art. It’s like a visual shout, isn't it? I wonder if he was thinking about Jasper Johns when he made this. See how the colors push and pull against each other, creating a subtle vibration? That is Indiana asking us to participate, to bring our own experiences to the work. It’s a simple word, but it's presented in such a way that it sticks in your head, bouncing around and reminding you that even the smallest gesture can carry a whole lot of weight. Like all artists, Indiana is a participant in an ongoing conversation, reminding us to be brave, to feel, and to keep hoping.