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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, Girl gold Banksy, PyB

Girl gold Banksy

PyB

Sculpture - 32 x 20 x 6 cm Sculpture - 12.6 x 7.9 x 2.4 inch

$289

Painting, Van Gogh, Noa Grayevsky

Van Gogh

Noa Grayevsky

Painting - 76 x 76 x 2 cm Painting - 29.9 x 29.9 x 0.8 inch

$3,468

Painting, Cousteau I, Xavier Collet

Cousteau I

Xavier Collet

Painting - 120 x 100 x 4 cm Painting - 47.2 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch

$1,156

Print, Grin guard, Ron English

Grin guard

Ron English

Print - 51 x 61 x 0.2 cm Print - 20.1 x 24 x 0.1 inch

$520 $468

Print, L'art est partout, Ben

L'art est partout

Ben

Print - 56 x 76 x 0.2 cm Print - 22 x 29.9 x 0.1 inch

$5,779

Print, Rien d'impossible, Ben

Rien d'impossible

Ben

Print - 56 x 76 x 0.2 cm Print - 22 x 29.9 x 0.1 inch

$5,779

Print, Creep, Yohan Storti

Creep

Yohan Storti

Print - 49 x 70 x 0.1 cm Print - 19.3 x 27.6 x 0 inch

$103

Sculpture, Jim Morrisson, JM Collell

Jim Morrisson

JM Collell

Sculpture - 90 x 116 x 3 cm Sculpture - 35.4 x 45.7 x 1.2 inch

$5,664

Photography, Friends, Clotilde.MJ

Friends

Clotilde.MJ

Photography - 40.88 x 60 x 0.3 cm Photography - 16.1 x 23.6 x 0.1 inch

$636

Photography, The rider, Clotilde.MJ

The rider

Clotilde.MJ

Photography - 60.37 x 50 x 0.3 cm Photography - 23.8 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch

$740

Painting, Flawless, Agboola Oladapo

Flawless

Agboola Oladapo

Painting - 71.1 x 53.3 x 2.5 cm Painting - 28 x 21 x 1 inch

$4,000

Painting, Roger Federer, Angelo Garbo

Roger Federer

Angelo Garbo

Painting - 100 x 100 x 3.5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.4 inch

$2,890

Painting, Home, SeiLeise

Home

SeiLeise

Painting - 80 x 60 x 4 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 1.6 inch

$2,774

Painting, K7, Disek

K7

Disek

Painting - 72 x 91 x 2.3 cm Painting - 28.3 x 35.8 x 0.9 inch

$1,098

Painting, NAPOleonRoom, Aperato

NAPOleonRoom

Aperato

Painting - 50 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch

$2,196

Painting, Corrida, Aperato

Corrida

Aperato

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

$1,144

Painting, Les Potes, MAM

Les Potes

MAM

Painting - 30 x 30 x 4 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 1.6 inch

$347

Painting, Duo de Pote, MAM

Duo de Pote

MAM

Painting - 30 x 30 x 3 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 1.2 inch

$347

Print, Chanel, Marcello Quarta

Chanel

Marcello Quarta

Print - 100 x 100 x 0.3 cm Print - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.1 inch

$520

Painting, Only God, Rusty XX

Only God

Rusty XX

Painting - 95 x 65 x 2 cm Painting - 37.4 x 25.6 x 0.8 inch

$1,503

Print, MBAPPLE, Wawapod

MBAPPLE

Wawapod

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

$69

Painting, Airmax 90, Disek

Airmax 90

Disek

Painting - 73 x 92 x 2.5 cm Painting - 28.7 x 36.2 x 1 inch

$1,387

Photography, Like a prayer, Clotilde.MJ

Like a prayer

Clotilde.MJ

Photography - 60.49 x 50 x 0.3 cm Photography - 23.8 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch

$844

Photography, Ride city, Clotilde.MJ

Ride city

Clotilde.MJ

Photography - 45 x 60 x 0.3 cm Photography - 17.7 x 23.6 x 0.1 inch

$670

Sculpture, Shadok Pietre, Flo Hombecq

Shadok Pietre

Flo Hombecq

Sculpture - 70 x 32 x 30 cm Sculpture - 27.6 x 12.6 x 11.8 inch

$2,543

Print, Harley Davidson, Ary Kp

Harley Davidson

Ary Kp

Print - 70 x 70 x 0.2 cm Print - 27.6 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch

$208 $187

Design, Boris, Jacky Zegers

Boris

Jacky Zegers

Design - 27 x 20 x 20 cm Design - 10.6 x 7.9 x 7.9 inch

$214

Print, Bat Text, Carlos Olmo

Bat Text

Carlos Olmo

Print - 50 x 40 x 0.1 cm Print - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0 inch

$92

Painting, Vision, Podkol

Vision

Podkol

Painting - 40 x 40 x 4 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 1.6 inch

$162

Sculpture, Moon walk, Jug

Moon walk

Jug

Sculpture - 80 x 20 x 5 cm Sculpture - 31.5 x 7.9 x 2 inch

$405

Painting, Snoopy, Oli Art

Snoopy

Oli Art

Painting - 61 x 50 x 3 cm Painting - 24 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch

$3,500

Painting, Asiatique, Jean-Paul Bocaj

Asiatique

Jean-Paul Bocaj

Painting - 146 x 97 x 3 cm Painting - 57.5 x 38.2 x 1.2 inch

$4,046

Painting, Silvester, Fro Shae

Silvester

Fro Shae

Painting - 29.7 x 21 cm Painting - 11.7 x 8.3 inch

$1,734

Sculpture, Fly together, Sagrasse

Fly together

Sagrasse

Sculpture - 52 x 24 x 12 cm Sculpture - 20.5 x 9.4 x 4.7 inch

$509

Painting, Pop heart, DAZ

Pop heart

DAZ

Painting - 79 x 71 x 1 cm Painting - 31.1 x 28 x 0.4 inch

$3,005

Photography, Fearless, Clotilde.MJ

Fearless

Clotilde.MJ

Photography - 43.25 x 61 x 0.3 cm Photography - 17 x 24 x 0.1 inch

$601

Design, Burki, Jacky Zegers

Burki

Jacky Zegers

Design - 22 x 18 x 20 cm Design - 8.7 x 7.1 x 7.9 inch

$214