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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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Fine Art Drawings, Untitled 214, Tarek Butayhi

Untitled 214

Tarek Butayhi

Fine Art Drawings - 35 x 50 cm Fine Art Drawings - 13.8 x 19.7 inch

$950

Photography, Kogure, Nathalie Daoust

Kogure

Nathalie Daoust

Photography - 45 x 67 x 2 cm Photography - 17.7 x 26.4 x 0.8 inch

$1,310

Photography, Gathering, Dominic Rouse

Gathering

Dominic Rouse

Photography - 50.8 x 61 cm Photography - 20 x 24 inch

$2,619

Photography, Sans 4, Lucien Hervé

Sans 4

Lucien Hervé

Photography - 40 x 30 cm Photography - 15.7 x 11.8 inch

$3,572

Photography, Ageha, Nathalie Daoust

Ageha

Nathalie Daoust

Photography - 45 x 67 x 2 cm Photography - 17.7 x 26.4 x 0.8 inch

$1,310

Painting, Slocombe Doll, Akiza

Slocombe Doll

Akiza

Painting - 100 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch

$1,667

Painting, Sugoi Sugar Pill, Akiza

Sugoi Sugar Pill

Akiza

Painting - 100 x 80 x 10 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 3.9 inch

$2,500

Painting, Bird chante, Li Dongfeng

Bird chante

Li Dongfeng

Painting - 34 x 34 x 1 cm Painting - 13.4 x 13.4 x 0.4 inch

Sold

Print, Untitled, Sam Francis

Untitled

Sam Francis

Print - 56 x 76 cm Print - 22 x 29.9 inch

Sold

Painting, Blizzard, Shanon Bee

Blizzard

Shanon Bee

Painting - 50 x 100 x 4 cm Painting - 19.7 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch

Sold

Painting, Outrances, Michèle Sala

Outrances

Michèle Sala

Painting - 50 x 61 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 24 x 0.8 inch

Sold

Print, Pure Heart, San Zi

Pure Heart

San Zi

Print - 11 x 30 x 1 cm Print - 4.3 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch

Sold

Print, La Mana, Enzo Cucchi

La Mana

Enzo Cucchi

Print - 68.6 x 99.1 cm Print - 27 x 39 inch

Sold

15/100