Bianca Jagger and Unidentified Man n.d.

This silver gelatin print, made by Andy Warhol, presents Bianca Jagger and an unidentified man in a relaxed pose. Warhol’s photographic work often flew under the radar, but it was central to his practice. He made extensive use of photography as source material for his silkscreen paintings, and also considered the photographs themselves works of art. The material qualities of photography – the manipulation of light, the darkroom processes – are often overlooked in favor of its documentary content. But in Warhol’s hands, the photograph is elevated. He is inviting us to look at the surface, at the contrast between light and shadow, the texture of the paper, and the way the image is fixed upon it. Warhol embraced the reproducibility inherent to photography, blurring the lines between mass production and artistic creation. His work reminds us that even the most seemingly straightforward image is the product of technical skill, artistic intention, and a complex social context.