Indiana★Warhol Spring

Woodward Gallery unites American artists Robert Indiana (b. 1928) and Andy Warhol (1928 -1987) in an exhibition emphasizing their contribution to Spring- a time of renewal and hope.

Now in his ninth decade of making art, Robert Indiana has said, “After living through the Great Depression, witnessing 9/11 and observing the tone of the time, I don’t believe we can oversaturate the world with HOPE. Can you foresee a time that HOPE will not be needed?”

Robert Indiana’s Four Seasons of HOPE was conceived as original works on canvas that were featured by Woodward Gallery at the venerated Four Seasons Restaurant. The blended colors were a conscious departure for the Artist from the traditional red/ blue/ green primary color scheme previously equated with his art. Indiana’s new tonality of rainbow colors glisten with gold and silver metallic paint in homage to the Seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn. The limited screen print series is produced on rag paper as a signed and numbered edition. They mirror the world as Indiana sees it.

Indiana’s old cohort, Andy Warhol also deviated from what was previously considered his iconic imagery by exploring an everyday phenomenon through color. Commissioned as a spiritual project in 1964 by John and Dominique de Menil, Warhol produced 33 tranquil minutes of the sun setting on film. Warhol shot sunsets in San Francisco, East Hampton and New York City. More than five reels are known to exist, though Warhol is said not to have been fully satisfied with them and the project was never completed.

Warhol then developed the “Sunset” screen print series in 1972 on smooth wove paper. Famed architects Johnson & Burgee commissioned 472 unique “Sunset” prints for the rooms of the renovated Hotel Marquette in Minneapolis, Minnesota. These were designated and stamped Hotel Marquette Prints. While his earlier film project felt lackluster to him, this new inspiration grew to 632 total, uniquely colored variations, using only three screens! “Sunset” is one of Warhol’s most subtle and visually expressive projects made in his lifetime. The repetitive image set apart by Warhol’s radical use of color is awe inspiring.

Come share our excitement as we celebrate the Spring season through the mesmerizing works of these legendary Artists!