500 is an example of the figurative work that Robert Indiana, then known as Robert Clark, produced as a high school student. The influence of American regionalist painters such as Charles Sheeler, Edward Hopper, and Reginald Marsh can be seen in Indiana’s work from this period, and this early preference for American styles and subjects continued throughout his career as a self-proclaimed painter of “the American scene.”
500 depicts a tailgating scene from the Indianapolis 500, the annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.