Book Illustration, 1 [cent] Life, Take Good Care of Self…

Walasse Ting was a Chinese-American visual artist and poet. One of his most renowned achievements was the publication, in 1964, of 1 [cent] Life, a portfolio of 62 original lithographs by 28 artists. Ting brought together European and American artists working within disparate frameworks, effectively illustrating the shift occurring at the time from the dominance of abstract expressionism to pop art. This ambitious project incorporated Ting's poetry alongside the artists’ work. Pop artists formed the central core of the group, which included Robert Indiana. Indiana, a self proclaimed “American painter of signs” has played a central role in the development of assemblage art, hard-edge painting and pop art. Best known for his LOVE image, he is considered one of the preeminent figures in American art since the 1960’s. His contribution to Ting’s book, Take good care of self…, exhibits Indiana’s use of bold, simple, iconic images, for which he has become known.