Flowers (Hand-Colored) 110 by Andy Warhol is one of ten hand-colored screenprints from his 1974 Flowers (Hand-Colored) portfolio. This work features a soft blue blossom surrounded by pale green leaves rendered in Warhol’s fluid, gestural line. The restrained palette and delicate application of color bring a sense of freshness and immediacy to the image. Though rooted in still-life tradition, Warhol’s interpretation feels spontaneous—each mark appearing both planned and accidental, like color settling naturally onto paper.
Warhol’s Return to Line and Gesture
The Flowers (Hand-Colored) series expands upon Warhol’s earlier Flowers (Black and White) portfolio, where he emphasized contour and composition. Both derive from designs in the mid-century wallpaper book Interpretive Flower Designs. However, in this version, Warhol adds subtle washes of pigment using Dr. Martin’s aniline watercolor dyes. The transparent color drifts over his linear outlines, merging design with improvisation. As a result, each print varies in tone and balance, showing how Warhol used repetition to achieve individuality—a recurring theme throughout his art.
Flowers (Hand-Colored) 110 in Warhol’s Artistic Evolution
Works like Flowers (Hand-Colored) 110 reveal a more personal side of Warhol. Rather than the bold silkscreens of pop icons or consumer goods, this series echoes his 1950s illustrations for magazines and shoe advertisements. By hand-coloring each print, Warhol reintroduced his own presence into the work, blending mechanical process with human touch. The result is both intimate and refined—a quiet contrast to his mass-produced imagery. This subtle reintroduction of the artist’s hand bridges his early illustration work and his later explorations of seriality and variation. Printed by Alexander Heinrici, Flowers (Hand-Colored) 110 exemplifies Warhol’s mastery of restraint, showing that simplicity and variation can coexist in perfect harmony.
Photo credit: Andy Warhol at the opening of his “Flowers” exhibition, Galerie Ileana Sonnabend, Paris. Photo by Harry Shunk & János Kender, May 12, 1965
