Andy Warhol’s Flowers evoke a virtual, almost painful calmness. They appear to exist solely on the surface, captured in their static hues, embodying a singular transformation fundamental to Warhol’s work: fleeting moments frozen in time. These flower images were meant for the common person, encapsulating Warhol’s knack for crystallization - offering a direct path to stylization that invites both psychological introspection and serves as a fleeting symbol. Yet these flowers also carry a deeper metaphorical weight, hinting at the flowers of mortality. Just like Warhol’s depictions of disasters and catastrophes, his flowers steadfastly resist any philosophical transformation, seemingly drawing ever nearer to them.
While today Warhol’s Flowers are seen as quintessential to his iconography, they originally marked a significant departure from the commercial and celebrity imagery - like Campbell’s Soup cans and Marilyn Monroe - that were bringing him recognition at the time. The series began with a photograph of hibiscus blossoms published in the 1964 issue of Modern Photography. Warhol cropped the image, intensified its colors in defiance of natural hues, and reproduced it repeatedly using silk-screening, first on canvases of various sizes and later on paper. This transformation firmly rooted the Flowers as a lasting element of Warhol’s artistic output.
In 1966, photographer Patricia Caulfield sued Warhol for using her image without permission, yet Warhol likely relished the controversy. To him, turning the appropriation of a simple magazine photo into a legal dispute was a perfect celebration of the mundane.
Since their initial publication in 1970, the Flowers occupy a unique place among Warhol’s early prints. Unlike his works featuring brand names, political figures, or celebrities, they lack external cultural references beyond their own imagery. Despite this, they are instantly recognizable as Warhol’s creations, akin to his Brillo boxes or portraits of Mao Tse-tung. Comprising ten prints with vibrant color combinations and showcasing Warhol’s penchant for repetition, the Flowers were bold and accessible, making a statement without aligning with any specific viewpoint during their tumultuous era of origin.
