In 1964, Andy Warhol was looking for a new body of work to show at New York’s Leo Castelli Gallery. He found his inspiration in a photograph of hibiscus flowers in Modern Photography magazine. The photographer, Patricia Caulfield, had cropped the image into a square format, and Warhol liked the way it looked. He had silkscreens made in two sizes, 48 inches and 24 inches.

The following year, Warhol started producing Flowers in even smaller sizes, down to 15 inches, 8 inches, and 5 inches. He would often tile the walls of his gallery with these multiple variations, creating a colorful and eye-catching display.

To me, these Flowers paintings are a testament to Warhol’s flexibility and scalability as an artist. He was always willing to experiment with new ideas and techniques, and he never shied away from challenging himself. These paintings are also a reminder of Warhol’s love of popular culture. He was fascinated by the way that images could be mass-produced and disseminated, and he saw his Flowers paintings as a way to comment on the commodification of beauty.

I think these paintings are still relevant today. In a world where we are constantly bombarded with images, Warhol’s Flowers remind us that beauty can be found in the ordinary. They are also a reminder that art can be both popular and subversive.

Learn more at The Andy Warhol Museum.