Andy Warhol and Multiples

Multiples

Andy Warhol's use of multiples in his work is evident through his silkscreen process. It was his use of multiples that generated most of his income towards the late 1960's.

Andy Warhol's multiples were commodities. Things that were produced, with there sole purpose being, to be either sold or exchanged.

Warhol's 'The Marilyn's' are great examples of multiples. 'The Marilyn's' are silkscreen prints, that are all the same. (Multiples).

Walter Benjamin talked about the aura that one would feel when looking at the original of a piece of art. The aura, referred to as the sense of awe and reverence one would presumably experience when in the presence of a unique piece of art.

So therefore you cannot experience the aura of an art piece if it is a reproduction of itself.

This makes me wonder.

Warhol's work is consider as multiples. But they are still all individual art pieces. So if what Walter Benjamin is saying that you cannot experience the 'aura' of a piece if it is a reproduction, then can you experience the aura of a piece of from Warhol's 'The Marliyns' collection?

They are all individual pieces, all made the same way, printed from the same screen using the same ink, but at individual times. They are not photocopies, scans or photographs of the original. They are all original pieces of art but they just look the same. So can you experience 'aura' from each piece or not?

I think in this case you can. Even though the pieces may look exactly the same. They are not exactly the same. Each piece may have a slight difference from the one before.

So I feel that in this case, Benjamin is wrong. In the case of Warhol's silkscreen prints you can experience an 'aura' from a multiple.