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!
Feng Kaixuan
Photography . 80 x 120 x 3 cm Photography . 31.5 x 47.2 x 1.2 inch
CHFÂ 7,025
Recommended by Artsper
Feng Kaixuan
Painting . 200 x 80 x 1 cm Painting . 78.7 x 31.5 x 0.4 inch
CHFÂ 3,220
Recommended by Artsper
Feng Kaixuan
Painting . 50 x 40 x 1 cm Painting . 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch
CHFÂ 1,268
Recommended by Artsper
Feng Kaixuan
Painting . 40 x 30 x 1 cm Painting . 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch
CHFÂ 1,073
Recommended by Artsper
Feng Kaixuan
Painting . 13 x 21 x 1 cm Painting . 5.1 x 8.3 x 0.4 inch
CHFÂ 1,756
Recommended by Artsper
Feng Kaixuan
Painting . 13 x 21 x 1 cm Painting . 5.1 x 8.3 x 0.4 inch
CHFÂ 2,927
Recommended by Artsper
Antoni Clavé
Fine Art Drawings . 77 x 57 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 30.3 x 22.4 x 0.4 inch
CHFÂ 2,927
Sumit Mehndiratta
Painting . 91 x 122 x 0.1 cm Painting . 35.8 x 48 x 0 inch
CHFÂ 1,659
Recommended by Artsper
Sumit Mehndiratta
Painting . 81 x 117 x 1 cm Painting . 31.9 x 46.1 x 0.4 inch
CHFÂ 781
Recommended by Artsper
Sumit Mehndiratta
Print . 100 x 100 x 0.1 cm Print . 39.4 x 39.4 x 0 inch
CHFÂ 976
Recommended by Artsper
Sumit Mehndiratta
Fine Art Drawings . 76 x 56 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 29.9 x 22 x 0 inch
CHFÂ 781
Sumit Mehndiratta
Sculpture . 84 x 84 x 4 cm Sculpture . 33.1 x 33.1 x 1.6 inch
CHFÂ 976
Recommended by Artsper
Sumit Mehndiratta
Fine Art Drawings . 76 x 56 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 29.9 x 22 x 0 inch
CHFÂ 781
Recommended by Artsper
Sumit Mehndiratta
Fine Art Drawings . 91 x 45 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 35.8 x 17.7 x 0 inch
CHFÂ 966
Sylvie Guyomard
Sculpture . 78 x 34 x 11 cm Sculpture . 30.7 x 13.4 x 4.3 inch
CHFÂ 1,659
Recommended by Artsper
Sylvie Guyomard
Painting . 62 x 50 x 2.5 cm Painting . 24.4 x 19.7 x 1 inch
CHFÂ 1,366
Recommended by Artsper
Sylvie Guyomard
Painting . 100 x 80 x 2 cm Painting . 39.4 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
CHFÂ 2,732
Recommended by Artsper
Sylvie Guyomard
Painting . 55 x 46 x 2 cm Painting . 21.7 x 18.1 x 0.8 inch
CHFÂ 1,171
Recommended by Artsper
Françoise Pétrovitch
Print . 120 x 160 x 0.1 cm Print . 47.2 x 63 x 0 inch
CHFÂ 2,537
Recommended by Artsper
Françoise Pétrovitch
Print . 65 x 50 cm Print . 25.6 x 19.7 inch
CHFÂ 1,366
Recommended by Artsper
Françoise Pétrovitch
Print . 120 x 160 x 0.1 cm Print . 47.2 x 63 x 0 inch
CHFÂ 2,537
Recommended by Artsper
Gabriel Baxas
Photography . 41 x 30 x 0.1 cm Photography . 16.1 x 11.8 x 0 inch
CHFÂ 439
Recommended by Artsper
Mario Tarantino
Photography . 70 x 70 x 0.3 cm Photography . 27.6 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch
CHFÂ 1,049
Recommended by Artsper
Mario Tarantino
Photography . 60 x 90 x 0.3 cm Photography . 23.6 x 35.4 x 0.1 inch
CHFÂ 1,380
Recommended by Artsper
Mario Tarantino
Photography . 90 x 70 x 0.3 cm Photography . 35.4 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch
CHFÂ 1,107
Recommended by Artsper
Mario Tarantino
Photography . 90 x 70 x 0.3 cm Photography . 35.4 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch
CHFÂ 1,491
Recommended by Artsper
Yoann Merienne
Sculpture . 59 x 37 x 28 cm Sculpture . 23.2 x 14.6 x 11 inch
CHFÂ 11,709
Recommended by Artsper
Yoann Merienne
Painting . 120 x 90 x 3 cm Painting . 47.2 x 35.4 x 1.2 inch
CHFÂ 6,830
Recommended by Artsper
Sven Pfrommer
Photography . 100 x 100 x 3 cm Photography . 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch
CHFÂ 1,747
Recommended by Artsper
Sven Pfrommer
Painting . 60 x 60 x 3 cm Painting . 23.6 x 23.6 x 1.2 inch
CHFÂ 1,415
Recommended by Artsper
Sven Pfrommer
Photography . 100 x 100 x 3 cm Photography . 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch
CHFÂ 1,844
Recommended by Artsper
Sven Pfrommer
Photography . 100 x 100 x 3 cm Photography . 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch
CHFÂ 1,844
Recommended by Artsper
Sven Pfrommer
Photography . 100 x 100 x 3 cm Photography . 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch
CHFÂ 1,844
Recommended by Artsper
Sven Pfrommer
Photography . 80 x 160 x 3 cm Photography . 31.5 x 63 x 1.2 inch
CHFÂ 2,332
Recommended by Artsper
Sven Pfrommer
Photography . 100 x 100 x 3 cm Photography . 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch
CHFÂ 1,844
Recommended by Artsper
Sven Pfrommer
Photography . 80 x 120 x 3 cm Photography . 31.5 x 47.2 x 1.2 inch
CHFÂ 1,844
Recommended by Artsper
Valerio Adami
Fine Art Drawings . 48 x 36 cm Fine Art Drawings . 18.9 x 14.2 inch
CHFÂ 7,806
Recommended by Artsper
Valerio Adami
Fine Art Drawings . 21 x 18 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 8.3 x 7.1 x 0 inch
CHFÂ 1,951
