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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, Splash, Christie Goodwin

Splash

Christie Goodwin

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

$381

Photography, 2X2 (1), Stephane Hardel

2X2 (1)

Stephane Hardel

Photography - 30 x 30 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0 inch

$925

Fine Art Drawings, Sans Titre, Chen Zhen

Sans Titre

Chen Zhen

Fine Art Drawings - 34 x 25 cm Fine Art Drawings - 13.4 x 9.8 inch

$6,935

Photography, Picasso, André Sartres

Picasso

André Sartres

Photography - 30 x 20 x 0.05 cm Photography - 11.8 x 7.9 x 0 inch

$405

Photography, Dont Walk, Karol Kállay

Dont Walk

Karol Kállay

Photography - 30 x 30 cm Photography - 11.8 x 11.8 inch

$1,271

Photography, Chasm Lake, Tom Reed

Chasm Lake

Tom Reed

Photography - 35.6 x 27.9 x 0.3 cm Photography - 14 x 11 x 0.1 inch

$175

Photography, Le Plongeon #4, Samzaï

Le Plongeon #4

Samzaï

Photography - 50 x 75 x 1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 29.5 x 0.4 inch

$451

Painting, Tjöm, Klem

Tjöm

Klem

Painting - 20 x 20 x 3.6 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 1.4 inch

$92

Photography, Flooded Mall, H.F. Davis

Flooded Mall

H.F. Davis

Photography - 51 x 41 x 0.01 cm Photography - 20.1 x 16.1 x 0 inch

$381

Photography, Bird walk, Adina Apostu

Bird walk

Adina Apostu

Photography - 80 x 60 x 0.1 cm Photography - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0 inch

$676

Photography, Give, Edgar Nabla

Give

Edgar Nabla

Photography - 110 x 110 x 0.05 cm Photography - 43.3 x 43.3 x 0 inch

$4,623

Photography, Madison Man, Ian Wallace

Madison Man

Ian Wallace

Photography - 50.8 x 40.64 x 0.1 cm Photography - 20 x 16 x 0 inch

$1,734

Photography, Le panier, Claude Vesco

Le panier

Claude Vesco

Photography - 40 x 30 x 1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch

$520

Photography, Letters, Miki Kato

Letters

Miki Kato

Photography - 100 x 150 x 3 cm Photography - 39.4 x 59.1 x 1.2 inch

$6,935

Photography, L'eau I, Sérgio Ranalli

L'eau I

Sérgio Ranalli

Photography - 150 x 100 cm Photography - 59.1 x 39.4 inch

$2,890

Fine Art Drawings, Tiim, Donald Mitchell

Tiim

Donald Mitchell

Fine Art Drawings - 58 x 39 cm Fine Art Drawings - 22.8 x 15.4 inch

$3,236

Photography, Bored Dog, Greg Mascot

Bored Dog

Greg Mascot

Photography - 19.5 x 14.5 cm Photography - 7.7 x 5.7 inch

$231

Photography, Impact 21, Hugo Gus Babey

Impact 21

Hugo Gus Babey

Photography - 37.5 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 14.8 x 19.7 x 0 inch

$925

Photography, Absence II, Wai Ming Lung

Absence II

Wai Ming Lung

Photography - 75 x 50 x 0.01 cm Photography - 29.5 x 19.7 x 0 inch

$1,734

Painting, Les precieux, Faso

Les precieux

Faso

Painting - 46 x 38 x 2 cm Painting - 18.1 x 15 x 0.8 inch

$347

Photography, Olhar felino, Paulo Behar

Olhar felino

Paulo Behar

Photography - 100 x 100 x 1 cm Photography - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.4 inch

$5,779

Print, Long, Edgar Nabla

Long

Edgar Nabla

Print - 100 x 40 x 4 cm Print - 39.4 x 15.7 x 1.6 inch

$1,503

Photography, Alek Wek, Thierry Le Gouès

Alek Wek

Thierry Le Gouès

Photography - 50 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0 inch

$4,855

Photography, Sans titre, Julien Drogoul

Sans titre

Julien Drogoul

Photography - 60 x 90 x 0.3 cm Photography - 23.6 x 35.4 x 0.1 inch

$1,040

Painting, Matrix 1, Adolf Gil

Matrix 1

Adolf Gil

Painting - 65 x 81 x 2 cm Painting - 25.6 x 31.9 x 0.8 inch

$2,890 $2,601

Photography, Autoportrait, Pavlo Mazai

Autoportrait

Pavlo Mazai

Photography - 30 x 45 x 2 cm Photography - 11.8 x 17.7 x 0.8 inch

$2,312

5/98