In this 1985 portfolio of four screen-prints, Andy Warhol depicts Cologne Cathedral in Germany. The lofty, gothic cathedral is today Germany’s most visited landmark and a symbol of Christianity’s stronghold over medieval Europe; its monumental image slots comfortably into Warhol’s iconoclastic oeuvre, despite his reputation as a portrait artist.
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Cologne Cathedral is a set of 4 screen prints with diamond dust on Lenox Museum Board, produced in 1985 marks an interesting shift in Warhol’s oeuvre. The collection was produced by Andy Warhol in 1985 and the prints each come in an edition size of 60.
In this collection, Warhol depicts the magnificent Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, Germany. The cathedral is Germany's most visited landmark and averages 20,000 visitors a day. The cathedral, which dates back to 1248, is the tallest twin-spired church in the world, making it an impressive feat of Gothic architecture. The cathedral now houses the reliquary of the Three Kings and is seen as a symbol of the strength of Christianity in both medieval and modern Europe.
Warhol renders the cathedral from the same perspective in each print, however the depictions vary due to the colours used by Warhol and the amount of detail he adds through the use of colourful lines which he layers over paint. Cologne Cathedral (F. & S. II.364) is the most sombre print of the collection with the cathedral being rendered in black against a grey backdrop. The other prints in the collection feature much brighter and more vibrant colours, with Cologne Cathedral standing out due to its wide range of colours, ranging from pink to yellow, red to turquoise.