Black and White Portraits

The allure of black and white. Color can articulate reality and reflect realism, but taking it away focuses on contrast and the use of monochromatic tone to set an atmosphere that draws the viewer in. This increase in impact has been harnessed by photographers since the first successful black and white images were taken by Joseph Nicephore Niepce in the early 19th century,  leading to further success in 1825 when he managed to produce a black and white image of a window. Naturally colored photographs would not be developed until 1891 when Lipmann Gabriel applied the phenomenon of optical light wave interface. And yet, the black and white photograph continued, particularly in portraiture. Why? Practically, black and white photographs have a longer archival shelf-life but artistically, color isn't needed to capture the emotion, depth, expression and indeed reality through dramatic tone and contrast of the figure in front of the lens. You only need to recant Dorothea Lange's widely circulated Migrant Mother (1936) to see how a single black and white portrait can become a symbol of plight. In our works, artists like Maud Bernos and James Sparshatt favor portraits devoid of color… portraits that draw you the viewer in and leave you to fall into their enduring monochromatic depths.

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Photography, The 3rd day #5, Cody Choi

The 3rd day #5

Cody Choi

Photography - 50.8 x 76.2 x 0.2 cm Photography - 20 x 30 x 0.1 inch

€433

Painting, Human, Hom Nguyen

Human

Hom Nguyen

Painting - 116 x 81 x 3 cm Painting - 45.7 x 31.9 x 1.2 inch

€16,500

Photography, Dancer: Bobo, Cody Choi

Dancer: Bobo

Cody Choi

Photography - 76.2 x 50.8 x 0.2 cm Photography - 30 x 20 x 0.1 inch

€371

Photography, Datura, Nova Doria

Datura

Nova Doria

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

€950

Photography, Circe, Nova Doria

Circe

Nova Doria

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

€1,425

Painting, Arbre rêve, Sounya Whang

Arbre rêve

Sounya Whang

Painting - 37 x 21 x 0.1 cm Painting - 14.6 x 8.3 x 0 inch

€185

Painting, Zen cercle, Sounya Whang

Zen cercle

Sounya Whang

Painting - 36 x 35 x 0.1 cm Painting - 14.2 x 13.8 x 0 inch

€200

Painting, Zen Cercle, Sounya Whang

Zen Cercle

Sounya Whang

Painting - 26.5 x 29 x 0.1 cm Painting - 10.4 x 11.4 x 0 inch

€200

Painting, Zen cercle, Sounya Whang

Zen cercle

Sounya Whang

Painting - 50 x 23.5 x 0.1 cm Painting - 19.7 x 9.3 x 0 inch

€230

Painting, Cercle Zen, Sounya Whang

Cercle Zen

Sounya Whang

Painting - 45 x 27 x 0.1 cm Painting - 17.7 x 10.6 x 0 inch

€250

Painting, Trace 21, Sounya Whang

Trace 21

Sounya Whang

Painting - 36 x 48 x 0.1 cm Painting - 14.2 x 18.9 x 0 inch

€379