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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Black and white

Félix VALLOTTON (1865-1925) Nu Olivia Nude

Félix VALLOTTON (1865-1925) Nu aux fruits Salomé Nude

Félix VALLOTTON (1865-1925) Bord de mer Elodie Seaside

Félix VALLOTTON (1865-1925) Nue au chapeau Sarah nude with hat

Félix VALLOTTON (1865-1925) Nue Alice Nude

Félix VALLOTTON (1865-1925) Nu Isabelle Nude

Félix VALLOTTON (1865-1925) Nu Iris Nude

Félix VALLOTTON (1865-1925) Nu Luna Nude

Félix VALLOTTON (1865-1925) Nu EVE Nude

Félix VALLOTTON (1865-1925) La coiffure de JEANNE brushing her hair

Félix VALLOTTON (1865-1925) La chaussure de CAMILLE's Shoe

Félix Vallotton 1915 Nu LOLA Nude

1915 Strip-Tease

1915 Julia

1915 Le miroir JADE The mirror

1915 Les colliers AMBRE jewels

1915 Nu Martine Nude

1915 Claire à la mer

1915 Nu Sylvia Nude

1915 Dos blanc ANNA White back

Félix VALLOTTON (1865-1925) Nue Nude

1915 Nu blonde Fair haired nude

1915 Nu Juliette Nude

1915 Nu Julia Nude

1915 Nu ALICE Nude

Les Acrobates VII

Les Acrobates I

Les Acrobates II

Les Acrobates III

Les Acrobates V

Les Acrobates VI

1915 Sublime ROSE

1915 Nue au perroquet Nude with parrot

Réfléxion

Marks

Shadow and Light

Moon

Fragile Vanity III

Fragile Vanity II

Black or White

Me

Mia

Valcor

Nu sur le dos

Untitled

Untitled

Div-Ine XIII

Div-Ine X

Div-Ine VIII

Div-Ine VII

Girl on horse

Cube Nude II

Cube Nude I

In'erself

Shanghai #6

Félix VALLOTTON (1865-1925) Le bustier de NINA

Tableau de Félix Vallotton, photo d'art par Druet 1915 Nu Nude

1915 La Joueuse de cartes Cards player Lady

1915 Europa Europa

1915 Lascive LEA Lascivious

Violaine 08.2009 Lyon, France

Brisa 03.01.2012 Paris, France

Untitled

Untitled

Div-Ine XIV

Div-Ine XII