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!

Search by Image

Save your search and find it in your favorites

22/100 1 10 20 21 22 23 24 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Categories

Subcategories

Black and white

Portrait #6

Memories 6

Octubre III

Pesadumbre

Paris Notre Dame Cathedrale de Paris 7

Paris Notre Dame Cathedrale de Paris 6

Paris Notre Dame Cathédrale de Paris II

Paris Notre Dame Cathédrale de Paris

Paris bateaux mouche I

Paris bateaux mouches

Paris Moulin Rouge

Paris II

Storm Series (Ref 844)

Composition

Jeanne Hébuterne - Planche 74 & 75

Jeanne Hébuterne - Planche 12 & 13

Jeanne Hébuterne - Planche 2 & 3

Jeanne Hébuterne - Planche 72

Jeanne Hébuterne - Planche 116 & 117

Les jumelles

Donna Summer

Bob, Mick and Pete - Limited Edition Estate Print

The old REX

Iris

Manger

Rhyme II

California Poppy

Croyance

Vision 11

Vision 10

Vision 9

Hildegard Knef

Leaning tower of pizza Chicacago IL

Two flags east noir Chicago IL

Barbershop back in business Chicago IL

Pipe Plant M Linkman Pipe Co Chicago IL

Coluche - Iconic portraits

Modelling for Saks Fifth Avenue

Sans titre 5

L'homme du passé

Sans titre 4

Sans titre 3

Sans titre 2

Liz & Dick

Spirit of Forest

Double Wave Black

Heart

Hasufel

Beatles

Rembrandt, Frederick Rihel

Observation

Paris Déchiré

Jeanne Hébuterne - Planche 57

Tète d'autruche 1

Fear eats the soul

La Dualité

Serge Gainsbourg au Palace

Steve McQueen.War Lover. Pensif

Camp Nou III

Life

Demain, mon rêve d'aujourd'hui, Paris

L'Homme Seul, Paris

Midday Spécial

Le Volleyeur

C'est super, Je t'aime

The Fastest Sagittal (Peregrine Falcon)