201
  • Skid Row

  • 1969
  • Robert Indiana (American b. 1928, né Robert Clark)
  • Color lithograph
  • 21.1 x 21.2 cm., 8-5/16 x 8-3/8" image
  • Catherine Carter Goebel, Paul A. Anderson Chair in the Arts Purchase with Assistance from Apollo Fine Art, Paul A. Anderson Art History Collection, Augustana College 2008.10.1

Essay by Katherine E. Goebel, Assistant Editor

The spectacle of Robert Indiana's work lies within its ability to be simplistic and optically dazzling at the same time. As a member of the Pop art movement in New York in the 1950s, Indiana worked to construct images that were bold and iconic, often employing short words or symbols to convey great meaning to the masses. His most famous piece, LOVE of 1964, made a great presence in the United States, and continues to stand as a timeless image.

This lithograph is particularly interesting because it portrays the artist himself in a very modern way. He has captured his character by juxtaposing color, words and symbols in a sort of abstracted, geometric pattern that persuades viewers to piece together the character puzzle before them. We see the first three letters of his last name placed diagonally in the center of the composition, declaring the space as his own. Below that we find the year it was produced and the title of the piece, Skid Row. The work reflects a sort of urban motif, perhaps one inspired by street signs, subway stops or taxi cab stencils.

At first glance, we feel as though the overall image is carefully sliced into sections, creating a sense of symmetry. However, upon closer inspection, a great deal of incongruity and odd placement lies amidst a sea of haltingly brazen hues. Our first instinct, perhaps, is to feel cautioned or stopped due to the color combination. But, ironically, it's a piece that is instead supposed to draw us in further, calling on our intuition to interpret the intricacies. We are left wondering how the clues fit together. How may the yellow, black and white relate to a certain aspect of Robert Indiana's persona? What is the significance of "tiger" and the number "71?"

Like the other artists involved with the Pop movement, there is an obvious commentary on commercialism present in the piece-perhaps in this particular instance one of the over-produced signs throughout a city in which no one takes an individual interest. However, this sign is of interest, for no detail goes without significance. Swirls of three simple colors arranged in a rigid, yet randomized fashion thus represent a man, a mentality and a larger artistic movement.