Black and white
Save your search and find it in your favorites
Save your search to find it quickly
Saved search
Your search is accessible from the favorites tab > My favorite searches
Unsaved search
A problem occurred
Rhythms of Resilience IV
Gauthier Bouret
Photography - 75 x 50 x 1 cm Photography - 29.5 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
€750
Rhythms of Resilience II
Gauthier Bouret
Photography - 75 x 50 x 1 cm Photography - 29.5 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
€750
Gaudí 30
Ivanna Alejandra Sanchez Moretti
Photography - 40 x 30 cm Photography - 15.7 x 11.8 inch
€400
Desvelando Gaudí 013
Ivanna Alejandra Sanchez Moretti
Photography - 40 x 30 cm Photography - 15.7 x 11.8 inch
€400
Protea Obtusifolia
Griselda Duch
Photography - 32 x 45 x 0.1 cm Photography - 12.6 x 17.7 x 0 inch
€727
Protea Lacticolor
Griselda Duch
Photography - 32 x 45 x 0.1 cm Photography - 12.6 x 17.7 x 0 inch
€727
Miss Guy, NYC (Extra Large)
Michael James O'Brien
Photography - 203.2 x 152.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 80 x 60 x 0.1 inch
€14,518
Tabboo! (Stephen Tasjian), NYC (Extra Large)
Michael James O'Brien
Photography - 203.2 x 152.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 80 x 60 x 0.1 inch
€14,518
Lavinia Co-op, NYC (Extra Large)
Michael James O'Brien
Photography - 203.2 x 152.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 80 x 60 x 0.1 inch
€14,518
Dorian Corey, Wigstock, NYC
Michael James O'Brien
Photography - 152.4 x 101.6 x 0.3 cm Photography - 60 x 40 x 0.1 inch
€7,743
Kabuki Starshine, Wigstock, NYC
Michael James O'Brien
Photography - 152.4 x 101.6 x 0.3 cm Photography - 60 x 40 x 0.1 inch
€7,743
Lady Bunny, Wigstock, NYC
Michael James O'Brien
Photography - 152.4 x 101.6 x 0.3 cm Photography - 60 x 40 x 0.1 inch
€7,743
Girlfriend, Portfolio of 9 photographs
Michael James O'Brien
Photography - 167.6 x 129.5 x 0.3 cm Photography - 66 x 51 x 0.1 inch
€14,518
Brooklyn, Pigment Prints
Miguel Winograd
Photography - 110 x 91.9 x 0.3 cm Photography - 43.3 x 36.2 x 0.1 inch
€2,420
Friday morning, six o'clock III
Mihaela Ivanova
Photography - 30 x 30 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0 inch
€300
Friday morning, six o'clock II
Mihaela Ivanova
Photography - 30 x 30 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0 inch
€300
Friday morning, six o'clock I
Mihaela Ivanova
Photography - 30 x 30 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0 inch
€300
Water beyond water 14
Fabrice Constant
Photography - 90 x 60 cm Photography - 35.4 x 23.6 inch
€1,100
Paris, Jardin des Tuileries Fashion Week Défilé Dior
Olivia Bonnamour
Photography - 40 x 60 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 inch
€550
Silence and soul
Richard Kelley
Photography - 75 x 50 x 4 cm Photography - 29.5 x 19.7 x 1.6 inch
€1,500
Hong Kong Limited Edition Collectors Box - 16 signed archival prints
Sven Pfrommer
Photography - 40 x 30 x 5 cm Photography - 15.7 x 11.8 x 2 inch
€1,690
Dead nature scroll #2
Andrés Rozo Samer
Photography - 60 x 60 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 23.6 x 0 inch
€1,182
Peak Mid Winter #9
Jonathan Moore
Photography - 40 x 60 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 x 0 inch
€924
Peak Mid Winter 8
Jonathan Moore
Photography - 40 x 60 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 x 0 inch
€924
Peak Mid Winter #7
Jonathan Moore
Photography - 60 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 15.7 x 0 inch
€924
Peak Mid Winter #3
Jonathan Moore
Photography - 40 x 60 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 x 0 inch
€924
Broadway-Simplon
Stéphane Martin
Photography - 40 x 30 x 0.04 cm Photography - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch
€150
Un été pas comme les autres
Valérie Abadie
Fine Art Drawings - 13.5 x 21 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 5.3 x 8.3 x 0 inch
€590
Pain et couteau
Raoul Ubac
Fine Art Drawings - 36 x 42 cm Fine Art Drawings - 14.2 x 16.5 inch
€10,000
3 - La montée de Persephone
Mita Vostok
Photography - 60 x 40 x 1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch
€800
2 - Les âges de la vie - Naguère
Mita Vostok
Photography - 60 x 40 x 1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch
€800
2- Le rapt de Persephone
Mita Vostok
Photography - 60 x 40 x 1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch
€800
Nude Carla Bruni a genoux, Harper Bazar
Philippe Robert
Photography - 110 x 82 x 2 cm Photography - 43.3 x 32.3 x 0.8 inch
€11,000
Si nu stim totul
Kuffjca Cozma
Fine Art Drawings - 30 x 21 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.8 x 8.3 inch
€1,200
Confiance, solidarité
Michel Verna
Photography - 45 x 30 x 0.2 cm Photography - 17.7 x 11.8 x 0.1 inch
€500
La Densité du regard. Ayrton Senna
Dominique Leroy
Photography - 90 x 60 x 2 cm Photography - 35.4 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€1,400
Cathédrale d'Albi
Sébastien Béghuin
Photography - 60 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch
€1,350
Paradis artificiels
Pierre Gély-Fort
Photography - 30 x 45 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 17.7 x 0 inch
€550
L'anti-chambre du départ
Pierre Gély-Fort
Photography - 30 x 45 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 17.7 x 0 inch
€550
Lattier Self-Portait with his creature
Christian Lattier
Photography - 18 x 13 cm Photography - 7.1 x 5.1 inch
€2,900 €1,450
Place royale - Barcelone
Fabrice Quignette
Photography - 29 x 39 x 1 cm Photography - 11.4 x 15.4 x 0.4 inch
€500
Les Sans Logis
Fabrice Quignette
Photography - 39 x 29 x 1 cm Photography - 15.4 x 11.4 x 0.4 inch
€500
Chaparapluie rouge
Fabrice Quignette
Photography - 39 x 29 x 1 cm Photography - 15.4 x 11.4 x 0.4 inch
€500
Delantal. JT, Nimes, Francia.
Andrés Calamaro
Photography - 110 x 110 x 2 cm Photography - 43.3 x 43.3 x 0.8 inch
€11,850
Ganadería. Victoriano del Rio, Guadalix de la Sierra.
Andrés Calamaro
Photography - 40 x 60 x 2 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€7,850
Santa Coloma. Fernando Robleño, Las Ventas.
Andrés Calamaro
Photography - 40 x 60 x 2 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€7,850
José Tomás. La México, CDMX.
Andrés Calamaro
Photography - 40 x 60 x 2 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€7,850
Tafallera. Arturo Saldívar, Aguascalientes, México.
Andrés Calamaro
Photography - 40 x 60 x 2 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€7,850
Verónica a pies juntos. El Juli, Manizales, Colombia.
Andrés Calamaro
Photography - 40 x 60 x 2 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€7,850
JM Manzanares. Puerto de Santa María.
Andrés Calamaro
Photography - 40 x 60 x 2 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€7,850
La Suerte Suprema. JT, Nimes, Francia.
Andrés Calamaro
Photography - 40 x 60 x 2 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€7,850
Por derecha. José Tomas, CDMX.
Andrés Calamaro
Photography - 40 x 60 x 2 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€7,850
La México, CDMX.
Andrés Calamaro
Photography - 40 x 60 x 2 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€7,850
Morante de la Puebla.
Andrés Calamaro
Photography - 40 x 60 x 2 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€7,850
Antonio Corbacho. Finca de Gerardo Ortega, Santa Olalla del Cala.
Andrés Calamaro
Photography - 40 x 60 x 2 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€7,850
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!