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Place Vendôme
Vanessa Vercel
Photography - 70 x 105 x 2 cm Photography - 27.6 x 41.3 x 0.8 inch
$1,461
Eiffel oiseaux
Vanessa Vercel
Photography - 70 x 105 x 2 cm Photography - 27.6 x 41.3 x 0.8 inch
$1,461
Birhakeim 2
Vanessa Vercel
Photography - 105 x 70 x 2 cm Photography - 41.3 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,461
Arc de triomphe
Vanessa Vercel
Photography - 70 x 105 x 2 cm Photography - 27.6 x 41.3 x 0.8 inch
$1,461
Alexandre III
Vanessa Vercel
Photography - 70 x 105 x 2 cm Photography - 27.6 x 41.3 x 0.8 inch
$1,461
Rotondità, 1963 (Rondeurs)
Fabrizio La Torre
Photography - 60 x 42 x 0.5 cm Photography - 23.6 x 16.5 x 0.2 inch
$1,854
Acqua e fantasia
Fabrizio La Torre
Photography - 60 x 42 x 0.5 cm Photography - 23.6 x 16.5 x 0.2 inch
$1,854
Salita scivolosa a Trinità dei Monti, 1956 (montée glissante)
Fabrizio La Torre
Photography - 42 x 60 x 0.5 cm Photography - 16.5 x 23.6 x 0.2 inch
$1,854
L'annonciation (Islande)
Vincent Citot
Photography - 40 x 60 x 1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 x 0.4 inch
$843
Retour au centre (Islande)
Vincent Citot
Photography - 40 x 60 x 1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 x 0.4 inch
$843
Free Play 06 (Vulnerable)
Hengki Koentjoro
Photography - 43 x 43 x 0.02 cm Photography - 16.9 x 16.9 x 0 inch
$1,067
The fire and the infinity #2 (from the "The fire and the infinity" series)
Saverio Filioli Uranio
Painting - 32 x 24 x 0.1 cm Painting - 12.6 x 9.4 x 0 inch
$180
Corazon y alma
James Sparshatt
Photography - 40 x 50 x 1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
$781
The Picture Frame Westminister Bridge
Arthur Steel
Photography - 48 x 61 x 1 cm Photography - 18.9 x 24 x 0.4 inch
$2,051
Silent Dreams
James Sparshatt
Photography - 40 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$778
La furia del manton
James Sparshatt
Photography - 40 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$778
El campesino
James Sparshatt
Photography - 50 x 50 x 1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
$1,040
Uomini e Cappelli, 1955 - New York
Fabrizio La Torre
Photography - 60 x 42 x 0.5 cm Photography - 23.6 x 16.5 x 0.2 inch
$1,854
François Truffaut, Paris
Pierre Boulat
Photography - 36 x 24 x 0.3 cm Photography - 14.2 x 9.4 x 0.1 inch
$1,686
La Halle aux vins de Bercy
Pierre Boulat
Photography - 30 x 40 x 0.3 cm Photography - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0.1 inch
$787
Chassé-croisé à l'entrée de l'hôtel Plaza, New York
Pierre Boulat
Photography - 40 x 30 x 0.3 cm Photography - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.1 inch
$730
En bordure de Central Park, New York
Pierre Boulat
Photography - 24 x 36 x 0.3 cm Photography - 9.4 x 14.2 x 0.1 inch
$730
Le repos des bikers, Los Angeles
Pierre Boulat
Photography - 30 x 40 x 0.3 cm Photography - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0.1 inch
$843
Les adieux de Leningrad
Pierre Boulat
Photography - 40 x 30 x 0.3 cm Photography - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.1 inch
$843
L’Académie militaire, West Point, États-Unis, la parade finale
Pierre Boulat
Photography - 40 x 30 x 0.3 cm Photography - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.1 inch
$787
Inauguration de la chapelle Le Corbusier à Rongchamp
Pierre Boulat
Photography - 30 x 40 x 0.3 cm Photography - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0.1 inch
$730
Felouques sur le nil
Pierre Boulat
Photography - 40 x 30 x 0.3 cm Photography - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.1 inch
$899
Noce berrichonne, la parade dans le village
Pierre Boulat
Photography - 30 x 40 x 0.3 cm Photography - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0.1 inch
$843
Les Halles, Paris
Pierre Boulat
Photography - 24 x 36 x 0.3 cm Photography - 9.4 x 14.2 x 0.1 inch
$730
De l'Autre côté du mur, Berlin
Pierre Boulat
Photography - 36 x 24 x 0.3 cm Photography - 14.2 x 9.4 x 0.1 inch
$674
Isak Dinesen, baronne Blixen
Pierre Boulat
Photography - 41.5 x 28.5 x 0.3 cm Photography - 16.3 x 11.2 x 0.1 inch
$1,686
Courrèges
Pierre Boulat
Photography - 40 x 26.5 x 0.3 cm Photography - 15.7 x 10.4 x 0.1 inch
$1,124
Vérification de papiers dans le bidonville de Nanterre
Pierre Boulat
Photography - 33 x 50 x 0.3 cm Photography - 13 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch
$1,124
West Point: Yes Sir ! Un cadet accueille la nouvelle promotion
Pierre Boulat
Photography - 28.7 x 41.5 x 0.3 cm Photography - 11.3 x 16.3 x 0.1 inch
$1,348
Course pour le bus scolaire. MiddleWest.
Pierre Boulat
Photography - 49 x 60 x 0.3 cm Photography - 19.3 x 23.6 x 0.1 inch
$787
Himba Beauty
Faie Davis
Photography - 85.8 x 76.8 x 0.25 cm Photography - 33.8 x 30.2 x 0.1 inch
$1,500
Marie Hélène chez Maxim's
Pierre Boulat
Photography - 40 x 40 x 1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch
$955
The Muppets Backstage
Arthur Steel
Photography - 48 x 61 x 0.01 cm Photography - 18.9 x 24 x 0 inch
$2,079
Inisheer Limestone Walls
Arthur Steel
Photography - 48 x 61 x 1 cm Photography - 18.9 x 24 x 0.4 inch
$2,051
John Lennon Skiing
Arthur Steel
Photography - 48 x 61 x 1 cm Photography - 18.9 x 24 x 0.4 inch
$2,051
Guy The Gorilla Regent's Park London
Arthur Steel
Photography - 48 x 61 x 1 cm Photography - 18.9 x 24 x 0.4 inch
$2,051
Margaret Thatcher Apealing To The People
Arthur Steel
Photography - 48 x 61 x 1 cm Photography - 18.9 x 24 x 0.4 inch
$2,051
Mick Jagger Forty Licks
Arthur Steel
Photography - 61 x 48 x 1 cm Photography - 24 x 18.9 x 0.4 inch
$2,051
Catfight Female Mud Wrestlers 5
Arthur Steel
Photography - 48 x 61 x 1 cm Photography - 18.9 x 24 x 0.4 inch
$2,051
Captivated Audience
Arthur Steel
Photography - 48 x 61 x 1 cm Photography - 18.9 x 24 x 0.4 inch
$2,051
Chauffeurs Feast Twickenham
Arthur Steel
Photography - 48 x 61 x 0.01 cm Photography - 18.9 x 24 x 0 inch
$2,051
Crash Call Phone Box
Arthur Steel
Photography - 48 x 61 x 0.01 cm Photography - 18.9 x 24 x 0 inch
$2,051
Crash Test Dummies
Arthur Steel
Photography - 48 x 61 x 1 cm Photography - 18.9 x 24 x 0.4 inch
$2,051
Careless Whispers
Arthur Steel
Photography - 48 x 61 x 1 cm Photography - 18.9 x 24 x 0.4 inch
$2,051
Catfight Female Mud Wrestlers 4
Arthur Steel
Photography - 48 x 61 x 1 cm Photography - 18.9 x 24 x 0.4 inch
$2,051
Horseshoes Pile Luck Of The Irish
Arthur Steel
Photography - 61 x 48 x 1 cm Photography - 24 x 18.9 x 0.4 inch
$2,051
Ice Skating Priests
Arthur Steel
Photography - 48 x 61 x 1 cm Photography - 18.9 x 24 x 0.4 inch
$2,051
Big Ben Big Bang
Arthur Steel
Photography - 48 x 61 x 1 cm Photography - 18.9 x 24 x 0.4 inch
$2,051
L'homme du passé
Tanguy Mendrisse
Photography - 40 x 30 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch
$191
Chilhood Mirror
Darios Tossou
Photography - 90 x 60 x 0.8 cm Photography - 35.4 x 23.6 x 0.3 inch
$1,517
Anonymous right
Darios Tossou
Photography - 90 x 60 x 0.8 cm Photography - 35.4 x 23.6 x 0.3 inch
$1,517
Anonymous Left
Darios Tossou
Photography - 90 x 60 x 0.8 cm Photography - 35.4 x 23.6 x 0.3 inch
$1,517
Black and white
Before the arrival of photography – with the exception of some etchings and lithographs – all the images we consumed were in colour. Quite simply, because no one would ever have thought to do anything else – why paint in black and white when colour was so readily available?
Yet despite this, today many photographers still choose to work in black and white – such as Pauline Théon, Kadir Von Lohuizen or Joh Lowenstein – even though their photos are taken in colour by the camera itself. Is the black and white trend a fleeting effect of fashion, or a symbolic return to the roots of the photography movement? Black and white photography has something that colour photos, despite recent innovations and the extraordinary quality of images today, cannot quite access. The use of black and white lends significant force to the composition: the contrasts, the shadows and the figures all stand out more strongly. People simply feel differently when faced with a colour photo versus a black and white image.
Colour is a distraction of sorts, a disturbance: colour is a nuisance.
And yet, some photographers still prefer colour to black and white, whilst others merge touches of colour with otherwise monochrome compositions. But in the end, all agree that both styles impose a totally different way of looking at a photo: from researching the shot to post production work, when artists develop or retouch the image. The use of colour is therefore something of a process in its own right, relating to two different ways of viewing the world and showing it others. The question, then, is what is being told, and why is it being in the way that it is?
The symbolic value of putting black and white together is a good starting point for reflecting on the fascination that they generate even today. There could not be a more fascinating, more striking ambivalence than when black, the 'colour' of darkness and burnt coal, considered a non-colour, is placed alongside white – representing light, and the result of all the colours merged together.
The problem faced by photographers today is that black and white still carry strong connotations of the past, of an era before the popularisation of colour and its massive cultural recovery amongst the press and photo journalists. In fact, it is rare now that contemporary subjects are photographed in colour, but we still associate black and white images with a retro feel.
So what does contemporary art have to say about it all? Discover Artsper's selection of black and white works: on the border of past and present, of the real and the imaginary… let us guide you!