Pop Art and Typography Unit
Robert Indiana, The Hartley Elegy Series: The Berlin Series, KvF IX, 1991, 2010.7.9
Pop Art: With the advent of photography in the late 1800’s a modern art movement emerged in which artists began to shift away from representational works of art, opting to disrupt traditional methods of art-making through an exploration of bold colors, various materials, and multiple artistic techniques.
Beginning in the 1950’s and popularized in the 1960’s in Britain and America, Pop Art shifted the modern art movement with its focus on everyday items, consumerism, and easily mass produced artwork. Artists such as Andy Warhol, Robert Indiana and Robert Rauschenberg are popular figures in the pop art movement. These artists used everyday or commercial objects to create their art, often juxtaposing texts and images to convey meaning. By sourcing inspiration from mundane objects such as Warhol’s use of soup cans, pop artists challenged the previously established hierarchy within the art world, making art accessible for mass consumption.
Typography: Typography considers the aesthetic use of text in printed and digital materials. With an emphasis on legibility and conveying information, this practice considers style, arrangement, and structure with artistic design.
Collection: Pop Artists at the Farnsworth Art Museum
Activity: Caption This!
In this activity, we will consider the connection between words and objects in visual design through an exploration of Pop Art and Typography.
Design by Anneli Skaar
Artwork by Rockwell Kent, Seal Hunters, ca.1930’s, 2009.2.1
Design Examples:
Activity: typography + art
Robert Indiana’s LOVE sculpture is one of the most recognizable pop art icons of our time. In this activity, we will select a word that has meaning to us and explore various fonts, shapes, colors, and designs to share our own message.
Robert Indiana, LOVE, 1996, 99.8
watch: Eat and the 1964 Fair
A Talk by Chief Curator Michael K. Komanecky
Robert Indiana’s EAT sculpture originally appeared on the exterior of the New York State Pavilion at the 1964 World’s Fair in Flushing, New York. It was one of several works commissioned by fair organizer Robert Moses for the building, including pieces by Ellsworth Kelly, Alexander Liberman, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, Jim Rosenquist, and Andy Warhol. This presentation by Farnsworth Art Museum Chief Curator Michael K. Komanecky will take a look back at the fair and this commission from Indiana as part of celebrating the reinstallation of EAT atop the Farnsworth.
Farnsworth Art Museum
Listen: Robert Indiana's Love
Farnsworth Chief Curator Michael K. Komanecky explores the history of one of American art's most iconic works: Robert Indiana's LOVE.
Robert Indiana, LOVE, 1996, 99.8
Watch: Robert Indiana: The Hartley Elegies
A Talk by Chief Curator Michael K. Komanecky
Enjoy an extensive look at the 2021 Farnsworth exhibition Robert Indiana: The Hartley Elegies. Chief Curator Michael Komanecky takes us through major artworks in the exhibition, their history and significance, and the many stories, connections, and symbols embedded in this series.
Developed by:
Andrea L. Curtis, Education Program Manager
Farnsworth Art Museum
Kristen Andersen, Art Teacher
Camden-Rockport Middle School
Contributor(s):
Claire Horne, Arts in Education Project Assistant
Farnsworth Art Museum
Michael Komanecky, Chief Curator
Farnsworth Art Museum
Anneli Skaar, Creative Director
Farnsworth Art Museum
Margaret Rizzio, Teaching Artist
Farnsworth Art Museum
Rafi Baeza, Marketing Director
Maine Media Workshops + College
Developed by Andrea L. Curtis, Farnsworth Art Museum, Arts in Education Program, 2020