Brooklyn Bridge FS II. 290 by Andy Warhol demonstrates the artist’s characteristic color block technique for creating a three-dimensional aesthetic. His use of strong colors such as red, blue, green and black creates harmony and depth within the print.
Warhol was commissioned in 1983 to create this iconic work for the 100th anniversary of the Brooklyn Bridge. Warhol’s depiction of the bridge gives the building a playful humor in its unmistakable style. In addition, Warhol’s painting served as the official artwork for the city-wide event at the time.
In contrast to his other series, Warhol chose an offset printing technique for Brooklyn Bridge that is aesthetically different from his typical works. Although we have seen the color blocking in other works, we are introduced to a more complicated offset printing technique of the subject printed alongside the first edition. The bridge is printed so that it jumps off into the distance, where its beginning and end are ambiguous. The print is different from the standard Brooklyn Bridge photos. The color and composition in Warhol’s work bring a surrealism to the everyday subject, which has been catalogued thousands of times by thousands of artists. Warhol’s view of the bridge is nothing less than pure Pop Art and excessively Warholian.
The combined suspension and cable-stayed bridge in New York City is one of the oldest suspension bridges of this type in the USA. It connects Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River. When it was completed in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world.