Untitled, circa 1955, is the earliest known work painted by Robert Clark (as Indiana was then known) after he moved to New York in September 1954. Clark, a recent graduate of the Art Institute of Chicago, arrived in the city following a year studying abroad in London and Edinburgh. This transitional work stands between the realistic portraits of friends from his time in London (see David Phillips) and the group of more abstract, expressionistic heads that would follow.
The facial features of the figure, while exaggerated, bear some resemblance to the dancer and choreographer Paul Sanasardo, whose portrait (Upharsin) Indiana painted in 1955.