
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.
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



















The last ice cream-Violet
Sagrasse
Sculpture - 30 x 11 x 11 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 4.3 x 4.3 inch
$417










Above the Clouds #1
Cody Choi
Photography - 76.2 x 101.6 x 0.1 cm Photography - 30 x 40 x 0 inch
$925


















Série Buddha : Tableau no 6
Wen Jin Xie
Painting - 29 x 20 x 5 cm Painting - 11.4 x 7.9 x 2 inch
$3,545

Série Buddha : Tableau no 5
Wen Jin Xie
Painting - 29 x 20 x 5 cm Painting - 11.4 x 7.9 x 2 inch
$3,545

Série Buddha : Tableau no 4
Wen Jin Xie
Painting - 29 x 20 x 5 cm Painting - 11.4 x 7.9 x 2 inch
$3,545

Série Buddha : Tableau no 3
Wen Jin Xie
Painting - 29 x 20 x 5 cm Painting - 11.4 x 7.9 x 2 inch
$3,545

Série Buddha - Tableau no 1
Wen Jin Xie
Painting - 29 x 20 x 6 cm Painting - 11.4 x 7.9 x 2.4 inch
$3,545

Série Animaux : Tableau No 1
Wen Jin Xie
Painting - 24 x 50 x 5 cm Painting - 9.4 x 19.7 x 2 inch
$5,095

Le fil d'Ariane
Hom Nguyen
Fine Art Drawings - 40 x 30 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch
$4,703

Le fil d'Ariane
Hom Nguyen
Fine Art Drawings - 40 x 30 x 2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
$4,703




Los Vientos
James Sparshatt
Photography - 150 x 180 x 3 cm Photography - 59.1 x 70.9 x 1.2 inch
$9,815









Kuwait modern old city
Ali Buhamad
Photography - 50 x 40 x 5 cm Photography - 19.7 x 15.7 x 2 inch
$1,191



Las Memorías
James Sparshatt
Photography - 80 x 120 x 0.1 cm Photography - 31.5 x 47.2 x 0 inch
$3,531

Sonhos Silenciosos
James Sparshatt
Photography - 80 x 120 x 0.1 cm Photography - 31.5 x 47.2 x 0 inch
$3,531






TRipOdiS - Collection cORpuS
Louis Blanc
Photography - 70 x 70 cm Photography - 27.6 x 27.6 inch
$1,191




The southern gentleman
James Sparshatt
Photography - 80 x 120 x 0.1 cm Photography - 31.5 x 47.2 x 0 inch
$3,531

Lithographie originale de Yves Brayer
Yves Brayer
Print - 54 x 57 x 0.3 cm Print - 21.3 x 22.4 x 0.1 inch
$298

Scène de corrida
Yves Brayer
Fine Art Drawings - 23 x 32 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 9.1 x 12.6 x 0.4 inch
$1,548










Corrida aux Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer
Yves Brayer
Print - 49.5 x 64.5 cm Print - 19.5 x 25.4 inch
$357