ANDY WARHOL, FLOWERS (F. & S. II.119), FLOWERS (HAND-COLOURED) SERIES, SCREEN PRINT WITH HAND COLOURING ON ARCHES PAPER, 1974
Taken from Andy Warhol’s Flowers (Hand-Coloured) series from 1974, Flowers (F. & S. II.119) is one of the artists more unusual prints in its delicate, hand-drawn style. Using wallpaper samples and the book Interpretative Flower Designs by Mrs Raymond Rus Stolz as his source material, Warhol used an opaque projector to copy from these images and create the series. Every print in the series is unique in that they were each coloured by a studio assistant with Dr. Martin’s aniline watercolour dyes.
By combining his use of traditional screen printing with the technique of hand-dying and crayon-like lines, Warhol amalgamates the concept of the mass-produced with the originality of a hand-rendered piece. Flowers (F. & S. II.119) shows a line drawing of a vase and flowers against a plain backdrop, with added colour in muted yellow tones.
Warhol continuously returned to the subject of flowers in his career, reinterpreting the traditional art historical genre in a multitude of ways. This particular rendering is reminiscent of 19th century Japanese woodblock prints and accentuates Warhol’s unrivalled skill in the simplification of form. The resulting image is illustrative in style with a clear focus on composition, colour and line, noted for its organic form.
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ABOUT ANDY WARHOL
Andy Warhol (born Andrew Warhola) is a name synonymous with the celebrity culture and mass consumerism which coloured the boulevards of New York City in the Post World War II era. Born into a working class immigrant family in the urban landscape around the bustling metropolis, Warhol’s early life was characterised by a climb up the capitalist rungs of society.
The artist himself noted, “buying is more American than thinking, and I’m as American as they come”, this quote came to demarcate Warhol’s artistic practice as he embraced the commodification of the American Dream. The Pop artist’s beginnings in the business sector gave him the practical skill set to experiment with a more commercial approach to art throughout his career, particularly with regards to screen printing. Read more about Andy Warhol.
