White

In physics, white is the sum of all the colours. To the human eye, white appears to be the total absence of colour. Amongst artists, white and its many uses in art are continuously evolving and challenging those who would embrace them. Is white, then, a non-colour, or an enhancer of colours? Intangible or material? Absence or excess?

Since Antiquity, white has been appreciated for its symbolic value. In Ancient Greece, where they would paint their statues, it was a sign of incompletion, whereas the Romans believed it showed pomp and imperialist virtue. With the rise of Christianity, white was used in opposition to black in order to emphasise moral dichotomies: the pure, divine white against the darkness. In some cases, however, white was used to show sickness or death, most notably in the pallid representations of the skeletal, crucified Christ.

In the Renaissance white was used to sublimate faces and backgrounds. Da Vinci even based his sfumato technique on the soft transition from light into darkness. Throughout the history of painting, white was considered precious for its ability to reflect light. It attracts the gaze even when used in the tiniest quantities, and illuminates the subject, drawing out stunning contrasts as seen in the works of Rembrandt, or in Vermeer's famous Girl with the Pearl Earring.

With the rise of Impressionism, white was used as the brightest tone amongst shades of grey. While Manet produced canvases which were forerunners to monochromes, including The Reader, which was almost pure white, Monet delivered a stunning gradient of whites whilst recreating the snow at his home in Giverny. The first true white monochrome appeared with the arrival of Malevitch's White Square on a White Background. The artist said 'I have broken the blue boundary of colour limits, and come out into the white'.

 

Modernists were equally passionate about white and valued it incredibly highly. Miro in particular questioned the status of white on canvases. In his painting Woman, Bird and Star white is in parts boldly painted, but is also distinctive for its absence around the star. Picasso, on the other hand, explored white in conjunction with his famous coloured periods. Piero Manzoni became famous thanks to his 'achromatic' paintings, a series of canvases produced exclusively in shades of white. Moving into the 20th century, white became synonymous with minimalist abstraction. For artists like Kandinsky, white was a cosmic colour, associated with a spiritual search for the absolute, guiding the artists as he seek to express his emotions.  

 

Today, white remains an ever popular subject. Roman Opalka made his name creating a series of white numbers of a white background, while Daniel Arsham reinvents white walls in galleries by letting his artwork drip down onto them. White is a colour with multiple symbolic interpretations. The colour of divinity or humility; of purity and immaculate, of emptiness and absence, but always colour. If blue has Klein and red has Rothko, it appears that no artist has yet succeeded in fully mastering white – but maybe you'll find them in our selection!


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Sculpture, Love, Ad Van Hassel

Love

Ad Van Hassel

Sculpture - 17 x 19 x 4 cm Sculpture - 6.7 x 7.5 x 1.6 inch

$318

Painting, Cool kids, Nolwenn Samson

Cool kids

Nolwenn Samson

Painting - 146 x 114 x 2 cm Painting - 57.5 x 44.9 x 0.8 inch

$7,860

Sculpture, Pop Escape, Sagrasse

Pop Escape

Sagrasse

Sculpture - 36 x 24 x 22 cm Sculpture - 14.2 x 9.4 x 8.7 inch

$751

Sculpture, Kaws, Alessandro Padovan

Kaws

Alessandro Padovan

Sculpture - 30 x 30 x 6 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 11.8 x 2.4 inch

$578

Painting, Anarchy Banksy, Spaco

Anarchy Banksy

Spaco

Painting - 30 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch

$231

Print, DeathG592, Death NYC

DeathG592

Death NYC

Print - 45 x 32 x 0.1 cm Print - 17.7 x 12.6 x 0 inch

$103

Painting, The queen, Douglas Findlay

The queen

Douglas Findlay

Painting - 100 x 70 x 6 cm Painting - 39.4 x 27.6 x 2.4 inch

$1,250

Painting, Bear, Jo Di Bona

Bear

Jo Di Bona

Painting - 80 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch

$6,357

Painting, Yo! Mona Lisa, JP Malot

Yo! Mona Lisa

JP Malot

Painting - 70 x 50 x 1 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch

$578

Painting, Famous, Shake

Famous

Shake

Painting - 80 x 80 x 4 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 1.6 inch

$2,543

Painting, Cat, BB.Queen

Cat

BB.Queen

Painting - 50 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch

$1,387 $1,179

Painting, 007 ucraina, Bart

007 ucraina

Bart

Painting - 100 x 60 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 23.6 x 1.2 inch

$670

Painting, Box office, Podkol

Box office

Podkol

Painting - 80 x 80 x 4 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 1.6 inch

$636

Painting, Billie, Podkol

Billie

Podkol

Painting - 80 x 80 x 4 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 1.6 inch

$636

Sculpture, Hermes splat !, Santicri

Hermes splat !

Santicri

Sculpture - 35 x 20 x 15 cm Sculpture - 13.8 x 7.9 x 5.9 inch

$636

Sculpture, Oscar USA, Spaco

Oscar USA

Spaco

Sculpture - 25 x 8 x 8 cm Sculpture - 9.8 x 3.1 x 3.1 inch

$289

Painting, Deep Black Balmain, Aiiroh

Deep Black Balmain

Aiiroh

Painting - 75 x 75 x 1 cm Painting - 29.5 x 29.5 x 0.4 inch

$4,623

Painting, Street LV Logo, Aiiroh

Street LV Logo

Aiiroh

Painting - 75 x 75 x 0.1 cm Painting - 29.5 x 29.5 x 0 inch

$3,468

Painting, 911, Harleen X

911

Harleen X

Painting - 55 x 46 x 2 cm Painting - 21.7 x 18.1 x 0.8 inch

$694

Painting, Snoopy friends, Dr. Love

Snoopy friends

Dr. Love

Painting - 40 x 30 x 0.2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.1 inch

$104

Sculpture, Back to 1500, Sagrasse

Back to 1500

Sagrasse

Sculpture - 30 x 20 x 20 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 7.9 x 7.9 inch

$520

Painting, F...k, Dr. Love

F...k

Dr. Love

Painting - 40 x 30 x 0.2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.1 inch

Sold

Design, Moët&Chandon Bat, Ske

Moët&Chandon Bat

Ske

Design - 75 x 6 x 6 cm Design - 29.5 x 2.4 x 2.4 inch

$288

Print, Death Ma22, Death NYC

Death Ma22

Death NYC

Print - 32 x 45 x 0.1 cm Print - 12.6 x 17.7 x 0 inch

$103

Print, Death G598, Death NYC

Death G598

Death NYC

Print - 45 x 32 x 0.1 cm Print - 17.7 x 12.6 x 0 inch

$103

Print, Death02609, Death NYC

Death02609

Death NYC

Print - 32 x 45 x 0.1 cm Print - 12.6 x 17.7 x 0 inch

$103

Print, Atomic Bardot, Batik

Atomic Bardot

Batik

Print - 50.8 x 50.8 x 0 cm Print - 20 x 20 x 0.01 inch

$1,069

Photography, Judge Jasmin, Sarah Maple

Judge Jasmin

Sarah Maple

Photography - 55 x 85 cm Photography - 21.7 x 33.5 inch

$2,543

Sculpture, De Gaulle, Spaco

De Gaulle

Spaco

Sculpture - 20 x 21 x 10 cm Sculpture - 7.9 x 8.3 x 3.9 inch

$289

Painting, Souk experiense, Podkol

Souk experiense

Podkol

Painting - 80 x 80 x 4 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 1.6 inch

$636

Painting, Spectaculum, Podkol

Spectaculum

Podkol

Painting - 80 x 80 x 4 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 1.6 inch

$636

Sculpture, Karl Bat&Art, Ske

Karl Bat&Art

Ske

Sculpture - 75 x 6 x 6 cm Sculpture - 29.5 x 2.4 x 2.4 inch

$288

Design, Rubik Cub, Invader

Rubik Cub

Invader

Design - 6 x 6 x 6 cm Design - 2.4 x 2.4 x 2.4 inch

$231

Painting, Little mermaid, Penguino

Little mermaid

Penguino

Painting - 20.3 x 30.5 x 0.3 cm Painting - 8 x 12 x 0.1 inch

$925

Painting, Ballerina, Penguino

Ballerina

Penguino

Painting - 20.3 x 30.5 x 0.3 cm Painting - 8 x 12 x 0.1 inch

$925

Sculpture, Coke, JP Malot

Coke

JP Malot

Sculpture - 30 x 40 x 3 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 15.7 x 1.2 inch

$681

Painting, John Lennon colors, PyB

John Lennon colors

PyB

Painting - 30 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch

$220

Painting, Papess, Konovalov Igor

Papess

Konovalov Igor

Painting - 60 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch

$1,792

Painting, Amy Winehouse, Spaco

Amy Winehouse

Spaco

Painting - 30 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch

$220

Painting, Girls love Banksy, Spaco

Girls love Banksy

Spaco

Painting - 30 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch

$220

Print, Death02611, Death NYC

Death02611

Death NYC

Print - 32 x 45 x 0.1 cm Print - 12.6 x 17.7 x 0 inch

$103

Painting, Subway, Spaco

Subway

Spaco

Painting - 30 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch

$220

Painting, 1 pas sur la lune, Spaco

1 pas sur la lune

Spaco

Painting - 30 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch

$220

Painting, Bardot, Spaco

Bardot

Spaco

Painting - 30 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch

$231

Sculpture, Nobody likes me, Ske

Nobody likes me

Ske

Sculpture - 75 x 6 x 6 cm Sculpture - 29.5 x 2.4 x 2.4 inch

$288

Print, Women, Chiara Santoro

Women

Chiara Santoro

Print - 60 x 60 x 1.8 cm Print - 23.6 x 23.6 x 0.7 inch

$647