"LOVE bit me," Indiana said in 2014. "It was a marvelous idea, but it was also a terrible mistake. It became too popular; it became too popular. And there are people who don't like popularity. It's much better to be exclusive and remote. That's why I'm on an island off the coast of Maine, you see." -- Robert Indiana

Today's a good day (Christmas Eve 2021) to remind myself of this universal human emotion that can hopefully eclipse the other not so nice 4-letter words. For Indiana it was a transformative work of pop art that he'll forever be married to. In his quote the albatross of popularity became difficult. He had succeeded in creating art as words and numbers with the eyes of a sign painter (which is what he called himself).

Sorry Robert, LOVE and HOPE will thankfully always be popular.

Photo: LOVE at a Bangkok mall.