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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, Vague suspendue, Kathia Mohl

Vague suspendue

Kathia Mohl

Photography - 54 x 212 x 3 cm Photography - 21.3 x 83.5 x 1.2 inch

€3,300

Photography, Broken, Cécile Baldewyns

Broken

Cécile Baldewyns

Photography - 50 x 75 x 0.5 cm Photography - 19.7 x 29.5 x 0.2 inch

€800

Photography, 1915 Julia, Eugène Druet

1915 Julia

Eugène Druet

Photography - 54 x 43 x 0.5 cm Photography - 21.3 x 16.9 x 0.2 inch

€1,950 €975

Photography, Kogure, Nathalie Daoust

Kogure

Nathalie Daoust

Photography - 45 x 67 x 2 cm Photography - 17.7 x 26.4 x 0.8 inch

€1,100

Photography, Ageha, Nathalie Daoust

Ageha

Nathalie Daoust

Photography - 45 x 67 x 2 cm Photography - 17.7 x 26.4 x 0.8 inch

€1,100

Print, Untitled, Sam Francis

Untitled

Sam Francis

Print - 56 x 76 cm Print - 22 x 29.9 inch

Sold

Fine Art Drawings, Sol, Muriel Patarroni

Sol

Muriel Patarroni

Fine Art Drawings - 116 x 81 x 4 cm Fine Art Drawings - 45.7 x 31.9 x 1.6 inch

Sold

Print, Figure, Raoul Ubac

Figure

Raoul Ubac

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

€700

Photography, Salvarore (L), Brice Gelot

Salvarore (L)

Brice Gelot

Photography - 80 x 120 x 1 cm Photography - 31.5 x 47.2 x 0.4 inch

€8,000

Photography, Tracks VI, Bruno Charoy

Tracks VI

Bruno Charoy

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

€800

Photography, Tracks V, Bruno Charoy

Tracks V

Bruno Charoy

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

€800

Photography, Rue Mouffetard, Uwe Ommer

Rue Mouffetard

Uwe Ommer

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

€1,638

Painting, Hub, Michael Grine

Hub

Michael Grine

Painting - 30.5 x 22.9 x 0 cm Painting - 12 x 9 x 0.01 inch

€273

Photography, Rhinoceros #2, Brad Wilson

Rhinoceros #2

Brad Wilson

Photography - 74 x 58 x 0.1 cm Photography - 29.1 x 22.8 x 0 inch

€2,000

Photography, Rue Mouffetard, Uwe Ommer

Rue Mouffetard

Uwe Ommer

Photography - 60 x 40 x 0.3 cm Photography - 23.62 x 15.74 x 0.1 inch

€1,365

Fine Art Drawings, Untitled 160, Tarek Butayhi

Untitled 160

Tarek Butayhi

Fine Art Drawings - 42 x 34 cm Fine Art Drawings - 16.5 x 13.4 inch

€728

Photography, Reckless (XL), Brice Gelot

Reckless (XL)

Brice Gelot

Photography - 120 x 180 x 1 cm Photography - 47.2 x 70.9 x 0.4 inch

€18,000

Photography, Reckless (L), Brice Gelot

Reckless (L)

Brice Gelot

Photography - 80 x 120 x 1 cm Photography - 31.5 x 47.2 x 0.4 inch

€8,000

Photography, Evil side (XL), Brice Gelot

Evil side (XL)

Brice Gelot

Photography - 120 x 180 x 1 cm Photography - 47.2 x 70.9 x 0.4 inch

€18,000

Photography, Evil side (L), Brice Gelot

Evil side (L)

Brice Gelot

Photography - 80 x 120 x 1 cm Photography - 31.5 x 47.2 x 0.4 inch

€8,000

Photography, Homeboys (XL), Brice Gelot

Homeboys (XL)

Brice Gelot

Photography - 120 x 180 x 1 cm Photography - 47.2 x 70.9 x 0.4 inch

€18,000

Photography, Homeboys (L), Brice Gelot

Homeboys (L)

Brice Gelot

Photography - 80 x 120 x 1 cm Photography - 31.5 x 47.2 x 0.4 inch

€8,000

Photography, Hood raised (L), Brice Gelot

Hood raised (L)

Brice Gelot

Photography - 80 x 120 x 1 cm Photography - 31.5 x 47.2 x 0.4 inch

€8,000

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