The LOVE statue has become a cultural icon across the globe. Images of the LOVE statue embellish T-shirts, handbags, and even skateboards. The statue has been recreated in several other languages, such as Hebrew for instance, in other countries, as well as being parodied by the likes of Rage Against the Machine and Google.
As Valentine’s Day approaches, many people will be planning a pilgrimage to Love Park in Philadelphia for a romantic stroll just to see the statue in person.
Robert Clark was born in New Castle, Indiana in 1928. While studying art in several schools and universities from 1945 to 1954, including Chicago Art Institute School and Edinburgh College of Art, he adopted the last name Indiana and developed an interest in pop art.
Indiana differed from other pop artists of the time in that his art focused on letters and numbers instead of objects or images. In 1964, Indiana was commissioned to create a Christmas card for the Museum of Modern Art. On the front of the card was the word “love” written in all capital letters, red, with L and O on the top, V and E on the bottom, with the O tilted to the right, on a blue and green background. Even though the description in the previous section may make it seem otherwise, the image is strikingly simple.
Indiana loved his creation so much that he has recreated it time and time again throughout many mediums, the most famous being the LOVE statues scattered amongst cities all over the globe.
Philadelphia’s very own LOVE statue is so famous that many people refer to its home as Love Park, unaware that the park has the official name of John F. Kennedy Plaza. It is the simplicity of the image, which draws so many to it—it is just love, plain and simple.
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