White
In physics, white is the sum of all the colours. To the human eye, white appears to be the total absence of colour. Amongst artists, white and its many uses in art are continuously evolving and challenging those who would embrace them. Is white, then, a non-colour, or an enhancer of colours? Intangible or material? Absence or excess?
Since Antiquity, white has been appreciated for its symbolic value. In Ancient Greece, where they would paint their statues, it was a sign of incompletion, whereas the Romans believed it showed pomp and imperialist virtue. With the rise of Christianity, white was used in opposition to black in order to emphasise moral dichotomies: the pure, divine white against the darkness. In some cases, however, white was used to show sickness or death, most notably in the pallid representations of the skeletal, crucified Christ.
In the Renaissance white was used to sublimate faces and backgrounds. Da Vinci even based his sfumato technique on the soft transition from light into darkness. Throughout the history of painting, white was considered precious for its ability to reflect light. It attracts the gaze even when used in the tiniest quantities, and illuminates the subject, drawing out stunning contrasts as seen in the works of Rembrandt, or in Vermeer's famous Girl with the Pearl Earring.
With the rise of Impressionism, white was used as the brightest tone amongst shades of grey. While Manet produced canvases which were forerunners to monochromes, including The Reader, which was almost pure white, Monet delivered a stunning gradient of whites whilst recreating the snow at his home in Giverny. The first true white monochrome appeared with the arrival of Malevitch's White Square on a White Background. The artist said 'I have broken the blue boundary of colour limits, and come out into the white'.
Modernists were equally passionate about white and valued it incredibly highly. Miro in particular questioned the status of white on canvases. In his painting Woman, Bird and Star white is in parts boldly painted, but is also distinctive for its absence around the star. Picasso, on the other hand, explored white in conjunction with his famous coloured periods. Piero Manzoni became famous thanks to his 'achromatic' paintings, a series of canvases produced exclusively in shades of white. Moving into the 20th century, white became synonymous with minimalist abstraction. For artists like Kandinsky, white was a cosmic colour, associated with a spiritual search for the absolute, guiding the artists as he seek to express his emotions.
Today, white remains an ever popular subject. Roman Opalka made his name creating a series of white numbers of a white background, while Daniel Arsham reinvents white walls in galleries by letting his artwork drip down onto them. White is a colour with multiple symbolic interpretations. The colour of divinity or humility; of purity and immaculate, of emptiness and absence, but always colour. If blue has Klein and red has Rothko, it appears that no artist has yet succeeded in fully mastering white – but maybe you'll find them in our selection!
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
Pomme Karl F1
Virginia Benedicto
Sculpture - 30 x 30 x 30 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 11.8 x 11.8 inch
$2,223
Timeless in Black and Red
Sephora Venites
Print - 96.5 x 71.1 x 0.3 cm Print - 38 x 28 x 0.1 inch
$2,738
The Veil of Time (Metáfora XI)
Sephora Venites
Print - 116.8 x 88.9 x 0.3 cm Print - 46 x 35 x 0.1 inch
$2,457
Assembled Expression
Sephora Venites
Print - 121.9 x 83.8 x 0.3 cm Print - 48 x 33 x 0.1 inch
$2,317
Monochrome Eclipse
Sephora Venites
Print - 111.8 x 90.2 x 0.3 cm Print - 44 x 35.5 x 0.1 inch
$2,317
Surreal Fragmentation
Sephora Venites
Print - 101.6 x 101.6 x 0.3 cm Print - 40 x 40 x 0.1 inch
$2,211
“Keith Haring style – Red heart” skateboard
Guillaume & Anthony
Sculpture - 80 x 20 x 3 cm Sculpture - 31.5 x 7.9 x 1.2 inch
$900
Chanel skateboard
Guillaume & Anthony
Sculpture - 20 x 80 x 3 cm Sculpture - 7.9 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch
$900 $855
Lacoste skateboard
Guillaume & Anthony
Sculpture - 20 x 80 x 3 cm Sculpture - 7.9 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch
$900 $855
David the golden boy
Dervis Akdemir
Sculpture - 30 x 15 x 15 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 5.9 x 5.9 inch
$320
Acid party David - Handmade sculpture for home decor
Dervis Akdemir
Sculpture - 42 x 25 x 15 cm Sculpture - 16.5 x 9.8 x 5.9 inch
$306
Batman feat Hercules - Handmade sculpture for home decor
Dervis Akdemir
Sculpture - 40 x 25 x 15 cm Sculpture - 15.7 x 9.8 x 5.9 inch
$487
Medusas’ protective gaze
Dervis Akdemir
Sculpture - 31 x 23 x 15 cm Sculpture - 12.2 x 9.1 x 5.9 inch
$278
Pucci Pants (Lithograph with Gold Leaf)
Mel Ramos
Print - 53.3 x 48.3 x 2.5 cm Print - 21 x 19 x 1 inch
$4,950
La statue de la Liberté
Troy Henriksen
Painting - 120 x 120 x 3 cm Painting - 47.2 x 47.2 x 1.2 inch
$5,265
Bottle Love Keith Haring
Fred Meurice
Sculpture - 30 x 28 x 13.5 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 11 x 5.3 inch
$1,500
AntiK papier bulle /152
Christophe Ruiz
Painting - 120 x 90 x 3 cm Painting - 47.2 x 35.4 x 1.2 inch
$1,404
House party series 2
Sanuj Birla
Painting - 66 x 106.7 x 0.3 cm Painting - 26 x 42 x 0.1 inch
$2,400
Michelin China White
Li Lihong
Sculpture - 28.5 x 27 x 24 cm Sculpture - 11.2 x 10.6 x 9.4 inch
$2,925
The Dark Side Of Athena Handmade Sculpture for Home Decor
Dervis Akdemir
Sculpture - 55 x 37 x 20 cm Sculpture - 21.7 x 14.6 x 7.9 inch
$348
Hercules Last Supper
Dervis Akdemir
Sculpture - 40 x 29 x 15 cm Sculpture - 15.7 x 11.4 x 5.9 inch
$459
Gélulo piépla
Richard Di Rosa (dit Buddy)
Sculpture - 22 x 11 x 11 cm Sculpture - 8.7 x 4.3 x 4.3 inch
$2,457
Gacko bear love pop art Ch
André Gacko
Sculpture - 27 x 26 x 21 cm Sculpture - 10.6 x 10.2 x 8.3 inch
$1,509
Gacko bear love pop art Banksy white
André Gacko
Sculpture - 27 x 26 x 21 cm Sculpture - 10.6 x 10.2 x 8.3 inch
$1,509
One Dollar Rouge Mat
Karl Lagasse
Sculpture - 16.5 x 39.5 x 0.2 cm Sculpture - 6.5 x 15.6 x 0.1 inch
$2,691
Three Sisters Design Sculpture
Dervis Akdemir
Sculpture - 20 x 21 x 10 cm Sculpture - 7.9 x 8.3 x 3.9 inch
$167
Titus Pomponius Atticus Bust
Dervis Akdemir
Sculpture - 52 x 45 x 40 cm Sculpture - 20.5 x 17.7 x 15.7 inch
$278
Techno David: The Cyborg Sculpture
Dervis Akdemir
Sculpture - 43 x 25 x 20 cm Sculpture - 16.9 x 9.8 x 7.9 inch
$459
Greek God Antinous Bust
Dervis Akdemir
Sculpture - 70 x 40 x 38 cm Sculpture - 27.6 x 15.7 x 15 inch
$264
Couple Design Sculpture
Dervis Akdemir
Sculpture - 24 x 22 x 19 cm Sculpture - 9.4 x 8.7 x 7.5 inch
$188
Golden Hermes Statue
Dervis Akdemir
Sculpture - 30 x 15 x 15 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 5.9 x 5.9 inch
$362
The goddess of the hunt - Handmade sculpture for home decor
Dervis Akdemir
Sculpture - 44 x 22 x 15 cm Sculpture - 17.3 x 8.7 x 5.9 inch
$181
Ludwig van Beethoven
Dervis Akdemir
Sculpture - 43 x 25 x 15 cm Sculpture - 16.9 x 9.8 x 5.9 inch
$181
Homer's fashion week - Large format
Kobalt
Print - 100 x 70 x 0.2 cm Print - 39.4 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch
$526
Skate deck skateboard custom Chanel
Olivier DeGroote
Painting - 81 x 21 x 1 cm Painting - 31.9 x 8.3 x 0.4 inch
$690
Sneaker Slam: Jordan & Basketball pop art sculpture
Dervis Akdemir
Sculpture - 22 x 20 x 3 cm Sculpture - 8.7 x 7.9 x 1.2 inch
$459
Groovy David: The Funky Bust Sculpture
Dervis Akdemir
Sculpture - 43 x 25 x 23 cm Sculpture - 16.9 x 9.8 x 9.1 inch
$417
Laker Design Sculpture
Dervis Akdemir
Sculpture - 15 x 25 x 10 cm Sculpture - 5.9 x 9.8 x 3.9 inch
$320
Diana Design Sculpture
Dervis Akdemir
Sculpture - 27 x 13 x 10 cm Sculpture - 10.6 x 5.1 x 3.9 inch
$195
Budha Decor Sculpture
Dervis Akdemir
Sculpture - 23 x 10 x 8 cm Sculpture - 9.1 x 3.9 x 3.1 inch
$138
Michelangelo’s David Bust
Dervis Akdemir
Sculpture - 42 x 25 x 15 cm Sculpture - 16.5 x 9.8 x 5.9 inch
$250
Old School Mouse
Tanner Rhines
Fine Art Drawings - 17.78 x 12.7 cm Fine Art Drawings - 7 x 5 inch
$702