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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Painting, Pop Lips, Sagrasse

Pop Lips

Sagrasse

Painting - 60 x 60 x 7 cm Painting - 23.6 x 23.6 x 2.8 inch

$714

Sculpture, Sweet Babel, Sagrasse

Sweet Babel

Sagrasse

Sculpture - 29 x 17 x 17 cm Sculpture - 11.4 x 6.7 x 6.7 inch

$595

Sculpture, Matrix, Sagrasse

Matrix

Sagrasse

Sculpture - 29 x 26 x 3 cm Sculpture - 11.4 x 10.2 x 1.2 inch

$691

Sculpture, Take my Heart, Sagrasse

Take my Heart

Sagrasse

Sculpture - 27 x 26 x 24 cm Sculpture - 10.6 x 10.2 x 9.4 inch

$631

Sculpture, American Pie, Sagrasse

American Pie

Sagrasse

Sculpture - 75 x 100 x 10 cm Sculpture - 29.5 x 39.4 x 3.9 inch

$1,429

Photography, La romera, James Sparshatt

La romera

James Sparshatt

Photography - 35 x 35 x 1 cm Photography - 13.8 x 13.8 x 0.4 inch

$840

Photography, Saiorse, James Sparshatt

Saiorse

James Sparshatt

Photography - 100 x 100 x 2 cm Photography - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch

$2,471

Sculpture, Luxury Vandals, Sagrasse

Luxury Vandals

Sagrasse

Sculpture - 60 x 60 x 15 cm Sculpture - 23.6 x 23.6 x 5.9 inch

$1,060

Photography, La pasion, James Sparshatt

La pasion

James Sparshatt

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

$840

Photography, Soul man, James Sparshatt

Soul man

James Sparshatt

Photography - 42 x 60 x 1 cm Photography - 16.5 x 23.6 x 0.4 inch

$840

Fine Art Drawings, Au Cabaret, Yves Brayer

Au Cabaret

Yves Brayer

Fine Art Drawings - 30 x 21 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.8 x 8.3 inch

$655

Photography, El beso, James Sparshatt

El beso

James Sparshatt

Photography - 50 x 40 cm Photography - 19.7 x 15.7 inch

$840

Painting, Raihana, Ahmed Art

Raihana

Ahmed Art

Painting - 150 x 100 cm Painting - 59.1 x 39.4 inch

$2,083

Sculpture, Balance, Sagrasse

Balance

Sagrasse

Sculpture - 33 x 28 x 17 cm Sculpture - 13 x 11 x 6.7 inch

$524

Print, Love Colors, Sagrasse

Love Colors

Sagrasse

Print - 24 x 31 x 12 cm Print - 9.4 x 12.2 x 4.7 inch

$274

Painting, Human (1), Hom Nguyen

Human (1)

Hom Nguyen

Painting - 80 x 60 x 1 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.4 inch

$16,548

Fine Art Drawings, Au Cabaret, Yves Brayer

Au Cabaret

Yves Brayer

Fine Art Drawings - 30.5 x 23.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 12 x 9.3 inch

$417

Photography, Jacquelina, James Sparshatt

Jacquelina

James Sparshatt

Photography - 40 x 50 x 1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch

$1,607

Print, Fuck Pin Art, Sagrasse

Fuck Pin Art

Sagrasse

Print - 44 x 36 x 10 cm Print - 17.3 x 14.2 x 3.9 inch

$524

Sculpture, Take my Heart, Sagrasse

Take my Heart

Sagrasse

Sculpture - 14 x 14 x 12.5 cm Sculpture - 5.5 x 5.5 x 4.9 inch

$143

Painting, Carmen, Yves Brayer

Carmen

Yves Brayer

Painting - 53.5 x 37 cm Painting - 21.1 x 14.6 inch

$1,667

Print, Innocent, Sagrasse

Innocent

Sagrasse

Print - 60 x 60 x 5 cm Print - 23.6 x 23.6 x 2 inch

$315 $300

Photography, El Barbudo, James Sparshatt

El Barbudo

James Sparshatt

Photography - 50 x 50 x 1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch

$981

Photography, Control, Ali Buhamad

Control

Ali Buhamad

Photography - 40 x 50 x 5 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 x 2 inch

$500

Photography, El Dandy, James Sparshatt

El Dandy

James Sparshatt

Photography - 75 x 55 x 1 cm Photography - 29.5 x 21.7 x 0.4 inch

$2,754

Photography, Te veo, James Sparshatt

Te veo

James Sparshatt

Photography - 35 x 35 x 1 cm Photography - 13.8 x 13.8 x 0.4 inch

$1,123

Photography, Tropicana, James Sparshatt

Tropicana

James Sparshatt

Photography - 67.5 x 67.5 x 2 cm Photography - 26.6 x 26.6 x 0.8 inch

$1,342

Sculpture, Love ?, Sagrasse

Love ?

Sagrasse

Sculpture - 20 x 15 x 26 cm Sculpture - 7.9 x 5.9 x 10.2 inch

$357

Sculpture, Mmmh graffiti, Sagrasse

Mmmh graffiti

Sagrasse

Sculpture - 33 x 20 x 3 cm Sculpture - 13 x 7.9 x 1.2 inch

$476

Sculpture, Kiss Fushia, Sagrasse

Kiss Fushia

Sagrasse

Sculpture - 30 x 22 x 8 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 8.7 x 3.1 inch

$524

Sculpture, Take My Heart, Sagrasse

Take My Heart

Sagrasse

Sculpture - 14 x 14 x 12.5 cm Sculpture - 5.5 x 5.5 x 4.9 inch

$143

Painting, Zayn, Ahmed Art

Zayn

Ahmed Art

Painting - 30 x 30 x 0.5 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.2 inch

$702