Black and White Portraits
The allure of black and white. Color can articulate reality and reflect realism, but taking it away focuses on contrast and the use of monochromatic tone to set an atmosphere that draws the viewer in. This increase in impact has been harnessed by photographers since the first successful black and white images were taken by Joseph Nicephore Niepce in the early 19th century, leading to further success in 1825 when he managed to produce a black and white image of a window. Naturally colored photographs would not be developed until 1891 when Lipmann Gabriel applied the phenomenon of optical light wave interface. And yet, the black and white photograph continued, particularly in portraiture. Why? Practically, black and white photographs have a longer archival shelf-life but artistically, color isn't needed to capture the emotion, depth, expression and indeed reality through dramatic tone and contrast of the figure in front of the lens. You only need to recant Dorothea Lange's widely circulated Migrant Mother (1936) to see how a single black and white portrait can become a symbol of plight. In our works, artists like Maud Bernos and James Sparshatt favor portraits devoid of color… portraits that draw you the viewer in and leave you to fall into their enduring monochromatic depths.
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La montée des eaux
Fabienne Cresens
Photography - 40 x 40 x 4 cm Photography - 15.7 x 15.7 x 1.6 inch
€500
Calligraphing en l'air #6
Cody Choi
Photography - 75 x 50 x 1.5 cm Photography - 29.5 x 19.7 x 0.6 inch
€1,849
La tristeza
James Sparshatt
Photography - 50 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0 inch
€734 €661
Hombre de la Luna
James Sparshatt
Photography - 50 x 50 x 1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
€734 €661
Last man standing
James Sparshatt
Photography - 40 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
€734
El Dandy
James Sparshatt
Photography - 50 x 40 x 1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch
€1,541 €1,387
American trails
James Sparshatt
Photography - 50 x 75 cm Photography - 19.7 x 29.5 inch
€1,171 €1,054
Dark Materials I
James Sparshatt
Photography - 67 x 100 x 2 cm Photography - 26.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
€1,849 €1,572
Storm over the Altiplano
James Sparshatt
Photography - 50 x 75 cm Photography - 19.7 x 29.5 inch
€1,171 €1,054
Dark Materials VI
James Sparshatt
Photography - 100 x 150 x 2 cm Photography - 39.4 x 59.1 x 0.8 inch
€3,637 €3,092
Dawn over Bagan
James Sparshatt
Photography - 50 x 75 cm Photography - 19.7 x 29.5 inch
€1,418 €1,276
El Revolucionario
James Sparshatt
Photography - 50 x 50 x 1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
€980 €883
El caballero
James Sparshatt
Photography - 35 x 35 x 1 cm Photography - 13.8 x 13.8 x 0.4 inch
€1,356 €1,221
Ritmo en el autobus
James Sparshatt
Photography - 50 x 40 cm Photography - 19.7 x 15.7 inch
€734 €661
Dark Materials VIII
James Sparshatt
Photography - 100 x 150 x 2 cm Photography - 39.4 x 59.1 x 0.8 inch
€4,007 €3,407
Waiting for the drums
James Sparshatt
Photography - 40 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
€734 €661
La romera
James Sparshatt
Photography - 35 x 35 x 1 cm Photography - 13.8 x 13.8 x 0.4 inch
€734 €661
El campesino
James Sparshatt
Photography - 35 x 35 x 1 cm Photography - 13.8 x 13.8 x 0.4 inch
€734 €661
Mujer de Santiago
James Sparshatt
Photography - 35 x 35 x 1 cm Photography - 13.8 x 13.8 x 0.4 inch
€734 €661
El tabaquero
James Sparshatt
Photography - 35 x 35 x 1 cm Photography - 13.8 x 13.8 x 0.4 inch
€734 €661
La vieja guajira
James Sparshatt
Photography - 35 x 35 x 1 cm Photography - 13.8 x 13.8 x 0.4 inch
€734 €661
Saiorse
James Sparshatt
Photography - 100 x 100 x 2 cm Photography - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
€2,158 €1,835
La pasion
James Sparshatt
Photography - 50 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0 inch
€734 €661
Soul man
James Sparshatt
Photography - 42 x 60 x 1 cm Photography - 16.5 x 23.6 x 0.4 inch
€734 €661
Silent Dreams
James Sparshatt
Photography - 40 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
€734
La furia del manton
James Sparshatt
Photography - 40 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
€734 €661
Serenity on the bayou
James Sparshatt
Photography - 45 x 60 cm Photography - 17.7 x 23.6 inch
€734 €661
Dark Materials IV
James Sparshatt
Photography - 67 x 100 x 2 cm Photography - 26.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
€1,849 €1,572
Dark Materials II
James Sparshatt
Photography - 67 x 100 x 2 cm Photography - 26.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
€2,158 €1,835
La montée des eaux
Fabienne Cresens
Photography - 100 x 100 cm Photography - 39.4 x 39.4 inch
€1,100
Jacquelina
James Sparshatt
Photography - 40 x 50 x 1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
€1,350 €1,215
Dagoberto - Cuba musician
James Sparshatt
Photography - 40 x 50 x 0.5 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0.2 inch
€980 €883
Puro... alegria
James Sparshatt
Photography - 50 x 40 x 1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch
€1,788 €1,609
Corazon y alma (1)
James Sparshatt
Photography - 55 x 75 x 1 cm Photography - 21.7 x 29.5 x 0.4 inch
€2,450
Mujer de Viñales
James Sparshatt
Photography - 90 x 90 x 2 cm Photography - 35.4 x 35.4 x 0.8 inch
€2,090 €1,881
El Barbudo
James Sparshatt
Photography - 50 x 50 x 1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
€857 €772
El Dandy
James Sparshatt
Photography - 75 x 55 x 1 cm Photography - 29.5 x 21.7 x 0.4 inch
€2,404 €2,164
El naufrago
James Sparshatt
Photography - 67 x 100 x 2 cm Photography - 26.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
€2,158 €1,835
Tropicana
James Sparshatt
Photography - 67.5 x 67.5 x 2 cm Photography - 26.6 x 26.6 x 0.8 inch
€1,171 €996
Les Vacances V
James Sparshatt
Photography - 100 x 116 x 2 cm Photography - 39.4 x 45.7 x 0.8 inch
€2,404 €2,044
Fellaz on Frenchmen
James Sparshatt
Photography - 40 x 50 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 inch
€950 €855
Les Vacances IV
James Sparshatt
Photography - 100 x 116 x 2 cm Photography - 39.4 x 45.7 x 0.8 inch
€2,404 €2,044
Les Vacances III
James Sparshatt
Photography - 100 x 116 x 2 cm Photography - 39.4 x 45.7 x 0.8 inch
€2,404 €2,044
Les Vacances II
James Sparshatt
Photography - 100 x 116 x 2 cm Photography - 39.4 x 45.7 x 0.8 inch
€2,404 €2,044
Les Vacances I
James Sparshatt
Photography - 100 x 116 x 2 cm Photography - 39.4 x 45.7 x 0.8 inch
€2,404 €2,044
A Moment with Mario
James Sparshatt
Photography - 42 x 60 cm Photography - 16.5 x 23.6 inch
€980 €883
Corazon y alma
James Sparshatt
Photography - 40 x 50 x 1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
€850 €765
Graciela
James Sparshatt
Photography - 75 x 55 x 1 cm Photography - 29.5 x 21.7 x 0.4 inch
€3,144 €2,830
The southern gentleman
James Sparshatt
Photography - 40 x 50 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 inch
€1,171 €1,054
Bayou dreaming
James Sparshatt
Photography - 60 x 85 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 33.5 x 0 inch
€1,664 €1,498
Bluesman on Beale
James Sparshatt
Photography - 40 x 50 x 1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
€825 €743
Jacquelina
James Sparshatt
Photography - 55 x 75 x 1 cm Photography - 21.7 x 29.5 x 0.4 inch
€3,150 €2,835
Graciela
James Sparshatt
Photography - 90 x 90 x 1 cm Photography - 35.4 x 35.4 x 0.4 inch
€3,082 €2,774
Spring amidst the beech
James Sparshatt
Photography - 60 x 85 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 33.5 x 0 inch
€1,418 €1,276
The house on the marsh
James Sparshatt
Photography - 60 x 85 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 33.5 x 0 inch
€1,418