Robert Indiana: Figures of Speech [Hardcover]

Professor Susan Elizabeth Ryan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 11, 2000

The American Pop artist Robert Indiana is best known for his Love paintings and sculptures that since the 1960s have appeared as paper-weights, on postage stamps, and in every medium from gold to chocolate. But Indiana's career adds up to a lot more than this image. He has produced -- and produces -- an ongoing, interrelated body of work in a range of media. When Alfred H. Barr, Jr., first saw Indiana's American Dream #1, he called it "spellbinding". And indeed, these brilliantly colored, often dizzyingly patterned artworks, here interpreted so precisely and sensitively by Susan Elizabeth Ryan, do project a powerful and unforgettable magic.

This book is the first in-depth analysis of Indiana's early career, from his maturation as an artist in the late 1950s, through the early 1970s, the peak of the proliferation of Love. Ryan shows how Indiana's oeuvre throughout this period is involved with the rhetoric of American dream and shaped by the artist's intense engagement with American literature and poetry. The author argues that Indiana's strident visual language emerges from his tendency to recast his life in story and verse, a fact that unlocks complex and secret tissues of figurative meaning within the deceptively simple canvases. By illuminating the enigmas in Indiana's word and image combination, she helps explain the longevity of Love and its influence on a later generation of artists.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Susan Elizabeth Ryan's monograph reveals a complicated, bookish artist who was born Robert Clark in-where else?-Indiana in 1928." -- The New York Times Book Review

Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; First Edition edition (May 11, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300079575
• ISBN-13: 978-0300079579
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,979,481 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Must Read!, December 18, 2000

By 

Herbert Lust (Greenwich, CTUnited States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Robert Indiana: Figures of Speech (Hardcover)

Susan E. Ryan's "Robert Indiana: Figures of Speech", Yale University Press, is a significant contribution to art history. Although there have been several good monographs on Indiana, Ryan's is the very first that details and synthesizes his biography, art, and contemporary place. It reads like a mystery novel as it explains how Indiana's career stalled around 1970 even though in the sixties he was considered as seminal as Warhol and Lichtenstein. Concise, well written and provocative, Ryan's "Indiana" is a must for all those interested in contemporary art. -Herbert Lust

5.0 out of 5 stars Great overview of Robert Indiana! Looks great on coffee table too!, January 23, 2011

By 

Breeze111 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Robert Indiana: Figures of Speech (Hardcover)

I purchased this book frankly not knowing what the contents were but with a strong interest in learning more about Robert Indiana. Well, I was not disappointed. The book offers tremendous value for the price, and I really enjoyed the color examples of Indiana's work. Highly recommended for any fan of modern art.

5.0 out of 5 stars Book at a bargain, June 29, 2009

By 

Mills Girl (Maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Robert Indiana: Figures of Speech (Hardcover)

The book was in excellent condition and contains a wealth of information. Why buy a new copy!