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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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Fine Art Drawings, Mariage, Albena Vatcheva

Mariage

Albena Vatcheva

Fine Art Drawings - 50 x 50 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch

€390

Fine Art Drawings, Jeune femme, Albena Vatcheva

Jeune femme

Albena Vatcheva

Fine Art Drawings - 50 x 50 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch

€390

Photography, Genesis, Richard Unglick

Genesis

Richard Unglick

Photography - 24 x 36 x 0.5 cm Photography - 9.4 x 14.2 x 0.2 inch

€60

Photography, Maïs, Sébastien Chauchot

Maïs

Sébastien Chauchot

Photography - 35 x 40 x 1 cm Photography - 13.8 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch

€350

Fine Art Drawings, Miroir, Michaël Brack

Miroir

Michaël Brack

Fine Art Drawings - 40 x 30 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.7 x 11.8 inch

€480

Fine Art Drawings, La Tour, Michaël Brack

La Tour

Michaël Brack

Fine Art Drawings - 29.7 x 21 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.7 x 8.3 inch

€240

Photography, Lamb 2, Laurent Gudin

Lamb 2

Laurent Gudin

Photography - 80 x 80 x 0.2 cm Photography - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.1 inch

€2,750

Print, Voyou, JP Malot

Voyou

JP Malot

Print - 20 x 25 cm Print - 7.9 x 9.8 inch

€90

Print, Wolfdog, Jibé

Wolfdog

Jibé

Print - 70 x 50 cm Print - 27.6 x 19.7 inch

€80

Painting, YvY, K Oldal

YvY

K Oldal

Painting - 23 x 25 x 0.2 cm Painting - 9.1 x 9.8 x 0.1 inch

€400

Photography, Frayer, Dominique Jullien

Frayer

Dominique Jullien

Photography - 13 x 30 x 1 cm Photography - 5.1 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch

€400

Photography, Le Plongeon #1, Samzaï

Le Plongeon #1

Samzaï

Photography - 50 x 70 x 1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 27.6 x 0.4 inch

€390

Photography, Au pied des grues, Samzaï

Au pied des grues

Samzaï

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

€390

Print, John e Yoko, Mattoni

John e Yoko

Mattoni

Print - 62 x 42 x 0.1 cm Print - 24.4 x 16.5 x 0 inch

€170

Photography, Les mains, Leandro Franco

Les mains

Leandro Franco

Photography - 50 x 50 cm Photography - 19.7 x 19.7 inch

€800

Photography, Stud, Juan Pablo Castro

Stud

Juan Pablo Castro

Photography - 152.4 x 203.2 x 0.3 cm Photography - 60 x 80 x 0.1 inch

€5,469

Photography, One sided, Arnaud Ele

One sided

Arnaud Ele

Photography - 118.8 x 84 x 0.2 cm Photography - 46.8 x 33.1 x 0.1 inch

€1,380

Fine Art Drawings, 'Z', Eugénie Lichet

'Z'

Eugénie Lichet

Fine Art Drawings - 29.7 x 21 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.7 x 8.3 x 0 inch

€100

Fine Art Drawings, 'K', Eugénie Lichet

'K'

Eugénie Lichet

Fine Art Drawings - 29.7 x 21 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.7 x 8.3 x 0 inch

€100

Fine Art Drawings, J-, Eugénie Lichet

J-

Eugénie Lichet

Fine Art Drawings - 29.7 x 21 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.7 x 8.3 x 0 inch

€100

Fine Art Drawings, G-, Eugénie Lichet

G-

Eugénie Lichet

Fine Art Drawings - 29.7 x 21 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.7 x 8.3 x 0 inch

€100

Fine Art Drawings, 'D', Eugénie Lichet

'D'

Eugénie Lichet

Fine Art Drawings - 29.7 x 21 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.7 x 8.3 x 0 inch

€100

Fine Art Drawings, 'C', Eugénie Lichet

'C'

Eugénie Lichet

Fine Art Drawings - 29.7 x 21 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.7 x 8.3 x 0 inch

€100

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