Ben Rose, Andy Warhol

In making this portrait of Andy Warhol, Rose used a rotating camera with internal prisms that he invented, pairing it with a system of firing strobe lights. The repetition of the figure in the image is the result of one continuous, multi-shutter series of shots captured on a single negative. Rose plays off the idea of multiples, which is an element pervasive in the works of Warhol. The two artists occasionally collaborated on projects in which the commercial arts and fine arts overlapped. Rose generally allowed his subjects to pose as they wished, and we can imagine that Warhol most likely participated in the production of the portrait by performing in front of the camera with his series of animated expressions. 

-Teddy Cavanagh, Woodmere Intern 2020