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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!

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Photography, Shadowfax, Mihaela Ivanova

Shadowfax

Mihaela Ivanova

Photography - 50 x 50 x 0.2 cm Photography - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch

€730

Photography, Bono, Kevin Westenberg

Bono

Kevin Westenberg

Photography - 51 x 61 cm Photography - 20.1 x 24 inch

€2,100

Print, M228, Jesús Perea

M228

Jesús Perea

Print - 70 x 100 cm Print - 27.6 x 39.4 inch

€1,545

Print, M271, Jesús Perea

M271

Jesús Perea

Print - 100 x 70 cm Print - 39.4 x 27.6 inch

€1,545

Print, M420, Jesús Perea

M420

Jesús Perea

Print - 100 x 70 cm Print - 39.4 x 27.6 inch

€1,545

Painting, Pallium, Yoann Merienne

Pallium

Yoann Merienne

Painting - 140 x 90 x 3 cm Painting - 55.1 x 35.4 x 1.2 inch

€8,000

Sculpture, Snake, Pere Aragay

Snake

Pere Aragay

Sculpture - 50 x 20 x 40 cm Sculpture - 19.7 x 7.9 x 15.7 inch

€2,500

Painting, Lady Avery, Jeremy Bianco

Lady Avery

Jeremy Bianco

Painting - 100 x 80 x 5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 2 inch

€1,840

Photography, Joy, Garik Avanesian

Joy

Garik Avanesian

Photography - 49 x 60 cm Photography - 19.3 x 23.6 inch

€890

Photography, Bono, Kevin Westenberg

Bono

Kevin Westenberg

Photography - 61 x 76.2 cm Photography - 24 x 30 inch

€2,875

Painting, Code 1956, Thierry Carrier

Code 1956

Thierry Carrier

Painting - 38 x 46 x 2 cm Painting - 15 x 18.1 x 0.8 inch

€1,800

Print, Absis, Marc Prat

Absis

Marc Prat

Print - 60 x 60 x 3 cm Print - 23.6 x 23.6 x 1.2 inch

€300

Photography, Balti XI, Tanguy Mendrisse

Balti XI

Tanguy Mendrisse

Photography - 30 x 24 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 9.4 x 0 inch

€130

Photography, Caballero, One, Ricky Cohete

Caballero, One

Ricky Cohete

Photography - 91.4 x 61 x 0.3 cm Photography - 36 x 24 x 0.1 inch

€2,025

Print, EM2020-20, Bill Kane

EM2020-20

Bill Kane

Print - 50.8 x 50.8 cm Print - 20 x 20 inch

€927

Photography, Debutante Ball, Slim Aarons

Debutante Ball

Slim Aarons

Photography - 152 x 101 x 0.01 cm Photography - 59.8 x 39.8 x 0 inch

€5,140

20/100