Flowers (Black and White) (FS. II 109) is one of ten screenprints from Andy Warhol’s 1974 *Flowers (Black and White)* portfolio, a body of work developed from floral imagery found in a wallpaper catalogue titled *Interpretive Flower Designs*. Created alongside its companion portfolio, *Flowers (Hand-Colored)*, this series marks a shift toward minimalism and intimacy in Warhol’s visual language. While the *Hand-Colored* prints are lively with expressive, hand-applied pigment, the *Black and White* series is defined by its restrained palette and focus on linear composition.

These works echo the hand-drawn aesthetic that characterized Warhol’s early career as a commercial illustrator in the 1950s. With fluid lines and delicate contours, *Flowers (Black and White)* reintroduces the artist’s personal touch—an aspect often masked in the bold, mechanical precision of his more iconic Pop works. In this monochrome format, Warhol invites viewers to appreciate the quiet elegance of form without the distraction of color.

Throughout his career, Warhol returned to the theme of flowers as a subject of formal and conceptual exploration. From the bold, color-saturated *Flowers* of the 1960s to this more introspective iteration in 1974, floral imagery allowed Warhol to examine themes of beauty, repetition, and design through various stylistic lenses.

Flowers (Black and White) FS. II 109 stands apart from the 1970 *Flowers* series, which emphasized graphic boldness and commercial polish. In contrast, this work prioritizes the irregularity and spontaneity of the artist’s hand, resulting in an image that feels intimate and reflective. The simplified composition, free from photographic references and mechanical rigidity, offers a purer, more meditative engagement with the subject.

Warhol’s embrace of screenprinting revolutionized the art world’s understanding of image-making, but it often distanced the viewer from the artist’s hand. With Flowers (Black and White) 109, however, Warhol uses the medium not to erase his presence, but to preserve it. The sketch-like quality of the lines and the absence of color shift the viewer’s attention toward the subtlety of mark-making and the harmony of the composition.

These prints challenge the perception of Warhol as a detached image-maker. Instead, they reveal a more nuanced artist capable of oscillating between mass production and personal expression. *Flowers (Black and White)* underscores Warhol’s continued interest in the tension between the reproducible and the handmade—a tension that defined much of his career.

Flowers (Black and White) 109 offers a unique window into Andy Warhol’s evolving artistic sensibility. By returning to hand-drawn forms and a minimalist approach, Warhol reengages with the fundamentals of image-making: line, balance, and composition. As part of the broader *Flowers (Black and White)* portfolio, this print reflects a thoughtful departure from the spectacle of Pop Art, reaffirming Warhol’s deep and enduring connection to drawing, form, and the quiet power of simplicity.