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Abstraction #6
Carlos Arriagada
Photography - 50 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$1,421
Abstraction #5
Carlos Arriagada
Photography - 50 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$1,591
Abstraction #4
Carlos Arriagada
Photography - 50 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$1,591
Abstraction #3
Carlos Arriagada
Photography - 50 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$1,421
Abstraction #2
Carlos Arriagada
Photography - 50 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$1,591
Abstraction #1
Carlos Arriagada
Photography - 50 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$1,421
Bob Marley at Berkshire Music Glen, (III)
Michael Grecco
Photography - 40.6 x 50.8 x 5.1 cm Photography - 16 x 20 x 2 inch
$3,000
Bob Marley at Berkshire Music Glen, (II)
Michael Grecco
Photography - 40.6 x 50.8 x 5.1 cm Photography - 16 x 20 x 2 inch
$3,000
Dwight Yoakam - San Antonio, Texas
Michael Grecco
Photography - 50.8 x 40.6 x 5.1 cm Photography - 20 x 16 x 2 inch
$3,000
Martin Scorsese - 2006
Michael Grecco
Photography - 40.6 x 50.8 x 5.1 cm Photography - 16 x 20 x 2 inch
$3,000
Lucy Liu - Holmby Hills, CA 1999
Michael Grecco
Photography - 40.6 x 50.8 x 5.1 cm Photography - 16 x 20 x 2 inch
$3,000
Joaquin Phoenix - Los Angeles, CA 2002
Michael Grecco
Photography - 40.6 x 50.8 x 5.1 cm Photography - 16 x 20 x 2 inch
$3,000
The Fabulous Billygoons, Boston, MA, 1980
Michael Grecco
Photography - 40.6 x 50.8 x 5.1 cm Photography - 16 x 20 x 2 inch
$3,000
Siouxsie and the Banshees, Steven Severin, and Budgie - Boston, Massachusetts Circa 1980
Michael Grecco
Photography - 40.6 x 50.8 x 5.1 cm Photography - 16 x 20 x 2 inch
$3,000
Lene Lovich - Boston, Massachusetts Circa 1980
Michael Grecco
Photography - 50.8 x 40.6 x 5.1 cm Photography - 20 x 16 x 2 inch
$3,000
La Peste (L- R) Peter Dayton, Mark Karl, and Roger Tripp - Boston, Massachusetts, 1980
Michael Grecco
Photography - 50.8 x 40.6 x 5.1 cm Photography - 20 x 16 x 2 inch
$3,000
Killing Joke - Back Stage, Boston, Massachusetts 1980
Michael Grecco
Photography - 40.6 x 50.8 x 5.1 cm Photography - 16 x 20 x 2 inch
$3,000
The Neighborhoods - Boston, MA
Michael Grecco
Photography - 50.8 x 40.6 x 5.1 cm Photography - 20 x 16 x 2 inch
$3,000
The Neighborhoods - Boston, MA (II)
Michael Grecco
Photography - 50.8 x 40.6 x 5.1 cm Photography - 20 x 16 x 2 inch
$3,000
Members of the band the B52's - Boston, 1980
Michael Grecco
Photography - 40.6 x 50.8 x 5.1 cm Photography - 16 x 20 x 2 inch
$3,000
Members of the band The B-52's - Boston, 1980 (II)
Michael Grecco
Photography - 40.6 x 50.8 x 5.1 cm Photography - 16 x 20 x 2 inch
$3,000
Members of the band The B-52's - Boston, 1980 (III)
Michael Grecco
Photography - 40.6 x 50.8 x 5.1 cm Photography - 16 x 20 x 2 inch
$3,000
Members of the Buzzcocks Danny Farrant, Chris Remington, Steve D - Boston, 1980
Michael Grecco
Photography - 40.6 x 50.8 x 5.1 cm Photography - 16 x 20 x 2 inch
$3,000
The Cramps, lead guitarist Poison Ivy
Michael Grecco
Photography - 40.6 x 50.8 x 5.1 cm Photography - 16 x 20 x 2 inch
$3,000
Brian Tristan - Cramps guitarist Kid Congo Powers
Michael Grecco
Photography - 50.8 x 40.6 x 5.1 cm Photography - 20 x 16 x 2 inch
$3,000
The Cramps lead guitarist Poison Ivy (II)
Michael Grecco
Photography - 50.8 x 40.6 x 5.1 cm Photography - 20 x 16 x 2 inch
$3,000
Member of Human League, Philip Oake - Boston, MA 1980
Michael Grecco
Photography - 50.8 x 40.6 x 5.1 cm Photography - 20 x 16 x 2 inch
$3,000
Nina Hagen, Grèce
Pierre Terrasson
Photography - 40 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$1,705
Pete Townsend
Pierre Terrasson
Photography - 40 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$1,705
Coluche - Iconic portraits
Arnaud Baumann
Photography - 60 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$682
Hat and Gloves Silhouette
Tyler Shields
Photography - 76.2 x 76.2 cm Photography - 30 x 30 inch
$5,000
Rhythmogramm Triennale
Heinrich Heidersberger
Photography - 40 x 30 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch
$12,504
Malcolm X during his visit to enterprises owned by Black Muslims.
Eve Arnold
Photography - 40.6 x 30.5 x 5.1 cm Photography - 16 x 12 x 2 inch
$2,350
USA. NYC. Marilyn Monroe.
Eve Arnold
Photography - 30.5 x 40.6 x 5.1 cm Photography - 12 x 16 x 2 inch
$2,350
USA. Marilyn Monroe (USA). Actress & singer
Eve Arnold
Photography - 30.5 x 40.6 x 5.1 cm Photography - 12 x 16 x 2 inch
$2,350
USA. Illinois. Bement. US actress Marilyn Monroe during a public appearance.
Eve Arnold
Photography - 30.5 x 40.6 x 5.1 cm Photography - 12 x 16 x 2 inch
$2,350
Mikhail Baryshnikov, American Ballet Theatre - NYC
Eve Arnold
Photography - 40.6 x 30.5 x 5.1 cm Photography - 16 x 12 x 2 inch
$2,350
Spain. Mallorca. Anthony QUINN and Anna KARINA on the set of Guy Green's The Magus.
Eve Arnold
Photography - 30.5 x 40.6 x 5.1 cm Photography - 12 x 16 x 2 inch
$2,350
New York, Model, Drusilla Dru Beyfus.
Eve Arnold
Photography - 30.5 x 40.6 x 5.1 cm Photography - 12 x 16 x 2 inch
$2,350
Sylvana Mangano (ITA), at the Museum of Modern Art, USA
Eve Arnold
Photography - 30.5 x 40.6 x 5.1 cm Photography - 12 x 16 x 2 inch
$2,350
GB. Shepperton. Film Set Becket, Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton
Eve Arnold
Photography - 30.5 x 40.6 x 5.1 cm Photography - 12 x 16 x 2 inch
$2,350
John and Angelica Huston (USA). 1968
Eve Arnold
Photography - 40.6 x 30.5 x 5.1 cm Photography - 16 x 12 x 2 inch
$2,350
USA. NYC. Black is Beautiful.
Eve Arnold
Photography - 30.5 x 40.6 x 5.1 cm Photography - 12 x 16 x 2 inch
$2,350
USA. New York. American actress Marlene Dietrich.
Eve Arnold
Photography - 40.6 x 30.5 x 5.1 cm Photography - 16 x 12 x 2 inch
$2,350
James Brown; singer, being interviewed after a concert in the Apollo in Harlem where the slogan Black is Beautiful was introduced.
Eve Arnold
Photography - 40.6 x 30.5 x 5.1 cm Photography - 16 x 12 x 2 inch
$2,350
Charlotte Stribling. USA. New York City USA.
Eve Arnold
Photography - 40.6 x 30.5 x 5.1 cm Photography - 16 x 12 x 2 inch
$2,350
USA. Nevada and California. The Misfits, a film by John HUSTON. 1960 III
Eve Arnold
Photography - 40.6 x 30.5 x 5.1 cm Photography - 16 x 12 x 2 inch
$2,350
USA. Arizona. James Stewart on the set of The flight of the phoenix.
Eve Arnold
Photography - 40.6 x 30.5 x 5.1 cm Photography - 16 x 12 x 2 inch
$2,350
Dancer In The Dark (S)
Tyler Shields
Photography - 50.8 x 76.2 cm Photography - 20 x 30 inch
$10,000
Martin Scorsese - 2006
Michael Grecco
Photography - 50.8 x 40.6 x 5.1 cm Photography - 20 x 16 x 2 inch
$3,000
Members of the Buzzcocks, Danny Farrant, Chris Remington, Steve D - Boston, 1980 (II)
Michael Grecco
Photography - 40.6 x 50.8 x 5.1 cm Photography - 16 x 20 x 2 inch
$3,000
Member of Human League, Philip Oake - Boston, MA 1980 (II)
Michael Grecco
Photography - 50.8 x 40.6 x 5.1 cm Photography - 20 x 16 x 2 inch
$3,000
The Cramps lead singer Lux Interior (II)
Michael Grecco
Photography - 40.6 x 50.8 x 5.1 cm Photography - 16 x 20 x 2 inch
$3,000
Devo performs live at The Paradise Rock Club in 1976 (IV)
Michael Grecco
Photography - 50.8 x 40.6 x 5.1 cm Photography - 20 x 16 x 2 inch
$3,000
Lou Reed - Boston, MA 1980
Michael Grecco
Photography - 40.6 x 50.8 x 5.1 cm Photography - 16 x 20 x 2 inch
$3,000
Punk Club - Boston, MA
Michael Grecco
Photography - 40.6 x 50.8 x 5.1 cm Photography - 16 x 20 x 2 inch
$3,000
Musician Elvis Costello performs live
Michael Grecco
Photography - 50.8 x 40.6 x 5.1 cm Photography - 20 x 16 x 2 inch
$3,000
Devo performs live at The Paradise Rock Club in 1976 (III)
Michael Grecco
Photography - 40.6 x 50.8 x 5.1 cm Photography - 16 x 20 x 2 inch
$3,000
Brian Tristan - Cramps guitarist Kid Congo Powers
Michael Grecco
Photography - 50.8 x 40.6 x 5.1 cm Photography - 20 x 16 x 2 inch
$3,000
The Cramps Lead singer Lux Interior (III)
Michael Grecco
Photography - 50.8 x 40.6 x 5.1 cm Photography - 20 x 16 x 2 inch
$3,000
Member of Human League, Susan Sulley - Boston, MA
Michael Grecco
Photography - 40.6 x 50.8 x 5.1 cm Photography - 16 x 20 x 2 inch
$3,000
Member of Human League, Susan Sulley - Boston, MA 1980 (II)
Michael Grecco
Photography - 40.6 x 50.8 x 5.1 cm Photography - 16 x 20 x 2 inch
$3,000
Member of Philip Oakey - Boston, MA 1980 (III)
Michael Grecco
Photography - 50.8 x 40.6 x 5.1 cm Photography - 20 x 16 x 2 inch
$3,000
The Cramps lead singer Lux Interior
Michael Grecco
Photography - 40.6 x 50.8 x 5.1 cm Photography - 16 x 20 x 2 inch
$3,000
Devo performs live at The Paradise Rock Club in 1976 (II)
Michael Grecco
Photography - 50.8 x 40.6 x 5.1 cm Photography - 20 x 16 x 2 inch
$3,000
Cocktail Red
Dan Holmqvist
Photography - 100 x 70 x 0.2 cm Photography - 39.4 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch
$868
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!