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!
Larry Clark
Photography . 19 x 28 x 0.1 cm Photography . 7.5 x 11 x 0 inch
CHFÂ 781
Recommended by Artsper
Larry Clark
Photography . 19 x 28 x 0.1 cm Photography . 7.5 x 11 x 0 inch
CHFÂ 781
Recommended by Artsper
Valérie Betoulaud
Painting . 48 x 55 x 1 cm Painting . 18.9 x 21.7 x 0.4 inch
CHFÂ 1,268
Recommended by Artsper
Valérie Betoulaud
Painting . 116 x 89 x 2 cm Painting . 45.7 x 35 x 0.8 inch
CHFÂ 3,903
Recommended by Artsper
Valérie Betoulaud
Print . 70 x 50 x 0.1 cm Print . 27.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch
CHFÂ 488
Recommended by Artsper
Tyler Shields
Photography . 45.7 x 45.7 cm Photography . 18 x 18 inch
CHFÂ 2,168
Recommended by Artsper
Fabien Verschaere
Painting . 92 x 65 x 3 cm Painting . 36.2 x 25.6 x 1.2 inch
CHFÂ 5,367
Recommended by Artsper
Fabien Verschaere
Painting . 55 x 46 x 4 cm Painting . 21.7 x 18.1 x 1.6 inch
CHFÂ 3,122
Recommended by Artsper
Fabien Verschaere
Painting . 114 x 162 x 4 cm Painting . 44.9 x 63.8 x 1.6 inch
CHFÂ 12,685
Recommended by Artsper
Mino Maccari
Fine Art Drawings . 17.7 x 12 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 7 x 4.7 x 0 inch
CHFÂ 585
Recommended by Artsper
Mino Maccari
Fine Art Drawings . 37 x 22 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings . 14.6 x 8.7 x 0.1 inch
CHFÂ 820
Mino Maccari
Fine Art Drawings . 35 x 25 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings . 13.8 x 9.8 x 0.1 inch
CHFÂ 878
Mino Maccari
Fine Art Drawings . 21.5 x 24 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings . 8.5 x 9.4 x 0.1 inch
CHFÂ 722
Mino Maccari
Fine Art Drawings . 32 x 21 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings . 12.6 x 8.3 x 0.1 inch
CHFÂ 664
Mino Maccari
Fine Art Drawings . 35 x 50 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings . 13.8 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch
CHFÂ 585
Mino Maccari
Fine Art Drawings . 36 x 25 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings . 14.2 x 9.8 x 0.1 inch
CHFÂ 664
Mino Maccari
Fine Art Drawings . 34 x 48.5 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings . 13.4 x 19.1 x 0.1 inch
CHFÂ 761
Mino Maccari
Fine Art Drawings . 39.5 x 29.5 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings . 15.6 x 11.6 x 0.1 inch
CHFÂ 488
Mino Maccari
Fine Art Drawings . 29 x 20.5 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings . 11.4 x 8.1 x 0.1 inch
CHFÂ 742
Mino Maccari
Fine Art Drawings . 24.5 x 35 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings . 9.6 x 13.8 x 0.1 inch
CHFÂ 605
Mino Maccari
Fine Art Drawings . 25 x 35 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings . 9.8 x 13.8 x 0.1 inch
CHFÂ 732
Mino Maccari
Fine Art Drawings . 31.5 x 21.5 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings . 12.4 x 8.5 x 0.1 inch
CHFÂ 527
Mino Maccari
Fine Art Drawings . 23.5 x 28 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings . 9.3 x 11 x 0.1 inch
CHFÂ 683
Mino Maccari
Fine Art Drawings . 30 x 40 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings . 11.8 x 15.7 x 0.1 inch
CHFÂ 664
Mino Maccari
Fine Art Drawings . 31 x 22.5 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings . 12.2 x 8.9 x 0.1 inch
CHFÂ 683
Bernhard Lang
Photography . 120 x 94 x 0.5 cm Photography . 47.2 x 37 x 0.2 inch
CHFÂ 1,854
Recommended by Artsper
Bernhard Lang
Photography . 90 x 60 x 0.1 cm Photography . 35.4 x 23.6 x 0 inch
CHFÂ 1,259
Recommended by Artsper
Bernhard Lang
Photography . 90 x 72 x 0.1 cm Photography . 35.4 x 28.3 x 0 inch
CHFÂ 966
Recommended by Artsper
Bernhard Lang
Photography . 75 x 100 x 2 cm Photography . 29.5 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
CHFÂ 1,259
Recommended by Artsper
Bernhard Lang
Photography . 60 x 80 x 0.5 cm Photography . 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.2 inch
CHFÂ 966
Recommended by Artsper
Bernhard Lang
Photography . 90 x 63 x 0.1 cm Photography . 35.4 x 24.8 x 0 inch
CHFÂ 966
Recommended by Artsper
Bernhard Lang
Photography . 105 x 70 x 3 cm Photography . 41.3 x 27.6 x 1.2 inch
CHFÂ 2,137
Recommended by Artsper
Bernhard Lang
Photography . 80 x 120 x 0.5 cm Photography . 31.5 x 47.2 x 0.2 inch
CHFÂ 1,854
Recommended by Artsper
Bernhard Lang
Photography . 120 x 80 x 0.1 cm Photography . 47.2 x 31.5 x 0 inch
CHFÂ 1,854
Recommended by Artsper
Bernhard Lang
Photography . 84 x 120 x 0.5 cm Photography . 33.1 x 47.2 x 0.2 inch
CHFÂ 1,854
Recommended by Artsper
Bernhard Lang
Photography . 80 x 120 x 0.2 cm Photography . 31.5 x 47.2 x 0.1 inch
CHFÂ 1,903
Recommended by Artsper
Hans Bellmer
Print . 78 x 57 x 0.3 cm Print . 30.7 x 22.4 x 0.1 inch
CHFÂ 1,171
Recommended by Artsper
Maria Esmar
Painting . 140 x 180 x 0.2 cm Painting . 55.1 x 70.9 x 0.1 inch
CHFÂ 5,464
Recommended by Artsper
Maria Esmar
Painting . 80 x 60 x 4 cm Painting . 31.5 x 23.6 x 1.6 inch
CHFÂ 1,171
Recommended by Artsper
Maria Esmar
Design . 140 x 220 x 0.2 cm Design . 55.1 x 86.6 x 0.1 inch
CHFÂ 6,050
Recommended by Artsper
Maria Esmar
Painting . 100 x 120 x 4 cm Painting . 39.4 x 47.2 x 1.6 inch
CHFÂ 2,439
Recommended by Artsper
Maria Esmar
Painting . 100 x 100 x 4 cm Painting . 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch
CHFÂ 1,464
Recommended by Artsper
Maria Esmar
Painting . 100 x 100 x 4 cm Painting . 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch
CHFÂ 1,947
Recommended by Artsper
Maria Esmar
Painting . 100 x 100 x 4 cm Painting . 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch
CHFÂ 2,244
Recommended by Artsper
Maria Esmar
Painting . 100 x 150 x 4 cm Painting . 39.4 x 59.1 x 1.6 inch
CHFÂ 2,830
Recommended by Artsper
Maria Esmar
Painting . 100 x 100 x 4 cm Painting . 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch
CHFÂ 1,951
Recommended by Artsper
