Amor 1984

This print titled Amor, by Robert Indiana, employs the simple industrial process of serigraphy, or screen printing. A stencil is applied to a fine mesh, and ink is forced through the open areas. It’s the same method used to make t-shirts and posters. Indiana's choice of this mechanical medium had real implications. The hard-edged, graphic quality of the image is heightened by the flat, unmodulated color. Screen printing is efficient, so it allowed for mass production and distribution. By choosing to work in a way that was accessible and reproducible, Indiana aligned himself with a broader Pop Art movement. This print shares the same ethos as a screen-printed multiple by Andy Warhol or a graphic design by Peter Max. Ultimately, it is the embrace of industrial techniques that gives this work its visual punch and its cultural resonance. It blurs the line between fine art and commercial design, inviting us to reconsider traditional hierarchies.