Black and White Portraits
The allure of black and white. Color can articulate reality and reflect realism, but taking it away focuses on contrast and the use of monochromatic tone to set an atmosphere that draws the viewer in. This increase in impact has been harnessed by photographers since the first successful black and white images were taken by Joseph Nicephore Niepce in the early 19th century, leading to further success in 1825 when he managed to produce a black and white image of a window. Naturally colored photographs would not be developed until 1891 when Lipmann Gabriel applied the phenomenon of optical light wave interface. And yet, the black and white photograph continued, particularly in portraiture. Why? Practically, black and white photographs have a longer archival shelf-life but artistically, color isn't needed to capture the emotion, depth, expression and indeed reality through dramatic tone and contrast of the figure in front of the lens. You only need to recant Dorothea Lange's widely circulated Migrant Mother (1936) to see how a single black and white portrait can become a symbol of plight. In our works, artists like Maud Bernos and James Sparshatt favor portraits devoid of color… portraits that draw you the viewer in and leave you to fall into their enduring monochromatic depths.
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Quand les mystères sont très malins
Yves Brayer
Print - 22.5 x 30.5 x 0.1 cm Print - 8.9 x 12 x 0 inch
€500
Au Grand Radeau
Yves Brayer
Fine Art Drawings - 20.5 x 29.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 8.1 x 11.6 inch
€500
Série: Animaux - Tableau No 2
Wen Jin Xie
Painting - 19 x 85 x 5 cm Painting - 7.5 x 33.5 x 2 inch
€4,297
La montée des eaux
Fabienne Cresens
Photography - 40 x 40 x 4 cm Photography - 15.7 x 15.7 x 1.6 inch
€500
Calligraphing en l'air #6
Cody Choi
Photography - 75 x 50 x 1.5 cm Photography - 29.5 x 19.7 x 0.6 inch
€1,849
Sans Repères
Hom Nguyen
Fine Art Drawings - 150 x 150 x 4 cm Fine Art Drawings - 59.1 x 59.1 x 1.6 inch
€26,400
La magie quotidienne (l'atelier)
Alberto Giacometti
Print - 51 x 36 x 0.1 cm Print - 20.1 x 14.2 x 0 inch
€3,800
Le patriote Ref AB122
Charles Lapicque
Fine Art Drawings - 40 x 30 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.7 x 11.8 inch
€3,000
Portrait Rêveur
Sounya Whang
Fine Art Drawings - 39 x 26 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.4 x 10.2 x 0 inch
€160
La tristeza
James Sparshatt
Photography - 50 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0 inch
€734 €661
Hombre de la Luna
James Sparshatt
Photography - 50 x 50 x 1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
€734 €661
Last man standing
James Sparshatt
Photography - 40 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
€734
El Dandy
James Sparshatt
Photography - 50 x 40 x 1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch
€1,541 €1,387
American trails
James Sparshatt
Photography - 50 x 75 cm Photography - 19.7 x 29.5 inch
€1,171 €1,054
Dark Materials I
James Sparshatt
Photography - 67 x 100 x 2 cm Photography - 26.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
€1,849 €1,572
Storm over the Altiplano
James Sparshatt
Photography - 50 x 75 cm Photography - 19.7 x 29.5 inch
€1,171 €1,054
Dark Materials VI
James Sparshatt
Photography - 100 x 150 x 2 cm Photography - 39.4 x 59.1 x 0.8 inch
€3,637 €3,092
Dawn over Bagan
James Sparshatt
Photography - 50 x 75 cm Photography - 19.7 x 29.5 inch
€1,418 €1,276
La Masque
Yves Brayer
Fine Art Drawings - 24 x 18.5 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 9.4 x 7.3 x 0.1 inch
€860
El Revolucionario
James Sparshatt
Photography - 50 x 50 x 1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
€980 €883
El caballero
James Sparshatt
Photography - 35 x 35 x 1 cm Photography - 13.8 x 13.8 x 0.4 inch
€1,356 €1,221
Ritmo en el autobus
James Sparshatt
Photography - 50 x 40 cm Photography - 19.7 x 15.7 inch
€734 €661
Dark Materials VIII
James Sparshatt
Photography - 100 x 150 x 2 cm Photography - 39.4 x 59.1 x 0.8 inch
€4,007 €3,407
Quand les mystères sont très malins IV
Yves Brayer
Print - 20.5 x 30.5 x 0.1 cm Print - 8.1 x 12 x 0 inch
€500