Flowers 73 (Flowers Portfolio)
Screen print on paper
91 x 91 cm
Not For Sale
Andy Warhol’s Flowers 73 (1970) is part of Andy Warhol’s Flowers portfolio. The hot pink, yellow, and periwinkle flowers have an imposing presence against verdant greenery. Each of these colors are arresting on their own, and the viewer’s eyes can’t help but move between each of these colors and thus, each of the image’s elements. This technicolor rendition of Andy Warhol’s Flowers portfolio is a recognizable and well-loved Warhol work. Andy Warhol’s Flowers is based on a photo by Patricia Caulfield that appeared in the June 1973 issue of the magazine Popular Photography. The original image was cropped and the colors inverted before Warhol added washes of vibrant dyes to the flower petals by hand. The flowers depicted are hibiscus flowers, specifically the mandrinette. Flowers is often viewed as a departure from Warhol’s typical work, which is known for centering around celebrities and well-known brands. The original image was not particularly famous before his appropriation of it, and the floral subject matter is not particularly related to pop culture or commercialism. However, flowers are a subject that Warhol continually revisits in his ouevre. His work with advertisements are made powerful due to their contexts, but flowers are timeless. This is undoubtedly a reason why the Flowers series remains one of Warhol’s most popular portfolios.