Numbers 1-9 (1) 1983

Robert Indiana has used blue and orange to create a composition of shape, color, and form. I'm getting a sense of smooth surfaces, like plates almost, rotating slowly, revealing and concealing as they go. When Indiana was making this, maybe he was thinking about signage, or Op art, or some kind of hard-edged graphic design. It makes me think of road signs, instruction manuals, or even the opening credits of a 1960s film. It’s like he's created these blocks of color and then he’s cropped them and brought them closer, throwing the background out of focus. The way the curves intersect creates a dialogue, like the conversation that painters have across time. You see the influence of artists who came before, and the dialogue continues as other artists respond and take note, interpreting these shapes in their own way.