Andy Warhol - Pine Barrens Tree Frog (FS II.294)

Original Pine Barrens Tree Frog Print by Andy Warhol

Pine Barrens Tree Frog 294 by Andy Warhol depicts the amphibious Dryophytes andersonii, a tree frog indigenous to three distinct regions of the United States: New Jersey, specifically the Pinelands or Pine Barrens from which it gets its name, the Sandhills of North and South Carolina, and parts of lower Alabama and the Florida panhandle. It’s notable for being one of the four animals included in the Endangered Species series that is no longer considered endangered or vulnerable. The tree frog was considered threatened between 1977 and 1983; however, its status was changed after stable populations were found in the aforementioned areas in Florida.

True to the animal, Warhol gives the Pine Barrens Tree Frog his version of disruptive coloration, a method of camouflage certain organisms use to evade predators. However, not even the environment escapes Warhol’s eye, who covers the tree branch the frog sits on in a deep blue, slightly outlined by hand-drawn white lines along its contours. The frog is covered in striking if implausible colors. Its large toe pads that grip the branch retain a likely green but its body and head give way to a vibrant yellow and red pattern. If this were observed in the wild, one might mistake this tree frog for something poisonous. Here, alternatively, the colors may represent the caution and danger many considered the frog to be in at the time, considering its designation as an endangered animal.