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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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Photography, Madonna, Kristina Trudorudo

Madonna

Kristina Trudorudo

Photography - 35 x 27.5 x 0.3 cm Photography - 13.8 x 10.8 x 0.1 inch

$1,271

Print, Sea edge, April Gornik

Sea edge

April Gornik

Print - 50 x 73 x 1 cm Print - 19.7 x 28.7 x 0.4 inch

$1,734

Fine Art Drawings, Natural Woman, Tiago Magro

Natural Woman

Tiago Magro

Fine Art Drawings - 33 x 25.4 cm Fine Art Drawings - 13 x 10 inch

$600

Photography, Memories I, Victoria Dearing

Memories I

Victoria Dearing

Photography - 27.5 x 44.5 x 0.3 cm Photography - 10.8 x 17.5 x 0.1 inch

$578

Print, Abstract, Fritz Wotruba

Abstract

Fritz Wotruba

Print - 47 x 63 x 0.2 cm Print - 18.5 x 24.8 x 0.1 inch

$1,098

Painting, Untitled, Viktor Sheleg

Untitled

Viktor Sheleg

Painting - 70 x 50 x 0.2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch

$462

Print, Huts, Pierre Boncompain

Huts

Pierre Boncompain

Print - 31 x 38.5 x 0.1 cm Print - 12.2 x 15.2 x 0 inch

$231

Photography, First one, Isabelle Picarel

First one

Isabelle Picarel

Photography - 80 x 53 x 2 cm Photography - 31.5 x 20.9 x 0.8 inch

$913

Fine Art Drawings, Asfixia, Vermibus

Asfixia

Vermibus

Fine Art Drawings - 35.5 x 28 x 0.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 14 x 11 x 0.2 inch

$1,040

Photography, Chantilly, Ahmet Sel

Chantilly

Ahmet Sel

Photography - 40 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0 inch

$763

Photography, Mark Ronson, Noa Grayevsky

Mark Ronson

Noa Grayevsky

Photography - 10.752 x 8.847 x 0.3 cm Photography - 4.2 x 3.5 x 0.1 inch

$1,734

Print, Tribal, Nani Tedeschi

Tribal

Nani Tedeschi

Print - 65 x 50 x 0.1 cm Print - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch

$324

Painting, Lanterne Volante, Akiza

Lanterne Volante

Akiza

Painting - 170 x 85 x 2 cm Painting - 66.9 x 33.5 x 0.8 inch

$2,312

Photography, Eux deux, Bogdan Kotewicz

Eux deux

Bogdan Kotewicz

Photography - 50 x 50 x 0.3 cm Photography - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch

$1,387

Photography, Sharpness 02, Milen Radev

Sharpness 02

Milen Radev

Photography - 50.6 x 40.6 x 0.1 cm Photography - 19.9 x 16 x 0 inch

$1,144

Photography, Le circassien, Michel Verna

Le circassien

Michel Verna

Photography - 30 x 45 x 0.2 cm Photography - 11.8 x 17.7 x 0.1 inch

$578

Photography, Artichoke II, Shine Huang

Artichoke II

Shine Huang

Photography - 50.8 x 40.6 x 0.3 cm Photography - 20 x 16 x 0.1 inch

$1,800

Photography, Lion staring, Eric Isselée

Lion staring

Eric Isselée

Photography - 100 x 62.5 x 5 cm Photography - 39.4 x 24.6 x 2 inch

$4,508

Print, Corazón, Flor Garduño

Corazón

Flor Garduño

Print - 56 x 46 x 0.02 cm Print - 22 x 18.1 x 0 inch

$3,468

Photography, Vigilant, Monica Denevan

Vigilant

Monica Denevan

Photography - 40 x 50 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 inch

$1,853

Fine Art Drawings, Ma petite, Miquel Wert

Ma petite

Miquel Wert

Fine Art Drawings - 40 x 40 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.7 x 15.7 inch

$1,329

Photography, Falaise, Charles Bayonne

Falaise

Charles Bayonne

Photography - 40 x 60 x 5 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 x 2 inch

$636

Photography, Hit by a bus, Norman Reedus

Hit by a bus

Norman Reedus

Photography - 20.32 x 25.4 x 1 cm Photography - 8 x 10 x 0.4 inch

$1,734

Photography, La pell 1.1., Jordi Rosado

La pell 1.1.

Jordi Rosado

Photography - 40 x 60 x 0.5 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 x 0.2 inch

$578

Print, Expo 92, Marcel Marti

Expo 92

Marcel Marti

Print - 75 x 55 cm Print - 29.5 x 21.7 inch

$347

Photography, Hand I, Laurent Gudin

Hand I

Laurent Gudin

Photography - 40 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0 inch

$1,849

Photography, Audrey Hepburn, Bridgeman

Audrey Hepburn

Bridgeman

Photography - 30 x 24 x 0.05 cm Photography - 11.8 x 9.4 x 0 inch

$289

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