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!
Peter de Boer
Painting . 55 x 46 x 2 cm Painting . 21.7 x 18.1 x 0.8 inch
CHF 1,348
Recommended by Artsper
Peter de Boer
Painting . 60 x 50 x 2 cm Painting . 23.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
CHF 1,483
Recommended by Artsper
Peter de Boer
Painting . 45 x 35 x 2 cm Painting . 17.7 x 13.8 x 0.8 inch
CHF 1,108
Recommended by Artsper
Peter de Boer
Painting . 50 x 40 x 2 cm Painting . 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
CHF 1,435
Recommended by Artsper
Peter de Boer
Painting . 100 x 120 x 2 cm Painting . 39.4 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch
CHF 3,564
Recommended by Artsper
Peter de Boer
Painting . 80 x 100 x 2 cm Painting . 31.5 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
CHF 2,861
Recommended by Artsper
Peter de Boer
Painting . 100 x 100 x 2 cm Painting . 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
CHF 2,890
Recommended by Artsper
Albena Vatcheva
Design . 76 x 76 x 0.16 cm Design . 29.9 x 29.9 x 0.1 inch
CHF 771
Recommended by Artsper
Albena Vatcheva
Print . 145 x 119 x 0.01 cm Print . 57.1 x 46.9 x 0 inch
CHF 424
Recommended by Artsper
Albena Vatcheva
Fine Art Drawings . 50 x 50 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 19.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
CHF 240
Albena Vatcheva
Painting . 120 x 40 x 2 cm Painting . 47.2 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
CHF 1,155
Recommended by Artsper
Albena Vatcheva
Painting . 100 x 50 x 2 cm Painting . 39.4 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
CHF 1,628
Recommended by Artsper
Albena Vatcheva
Painting . 80 x 80 x 2 cm Painting . 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
CHF 2,206
Recommended by Artsper
Albena Vatcheva
Painting . 70 x 50 x 0.4 cm Painting . 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.2 inch
CHF 1,011
Recommended by Artsper
Albena Vatcheva
Painting . 100 x 60 x 2 cm Painting . 39.4 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
CHF 2,495
Recommended by Artsper
Muriel Deumie
Painting . 90 x 30 x 4 cm Painting . 35.4 x 11.8 x 1.6 inch
CHF 1,060
Recommended by Artsper
Muriel Deumie
Fine Art Drawings . 120 x 40 x 4 cm Fine Art Drawings . 47.2 x 15.7 x 1.6 inch
CHF 954
Muriel Deumie
Fine Art Drawings . 100 x 20 x 4 cm Fine Art Drawings . 39.4 x 7.9 x 1.6 inch
CHF 867
Recommended by Artsper
Muriel Deumie
Fine Art Drawings . 120 x 40 x 3 cm Fine Art Drawings . 47.2 x 15.7 x 1.2 inch
CHF 954
Muriel Deumie
Photography . 80 x 60 x 1 cm Photography . 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.4 inch
CHF 530
Recommended by Artsper
Natalya Mougenot
Painting . 84.1 x 59.4 x 0.1 cm Painting . 33.1 x 23.4 x 0 inch
CHF 771
Recommended by Artsper
Natalya Mougenot
Painting . 80 x 80 x 1.5 cm Painting . 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.6 inch
CHF 1,300
Recommended by Artsper
Haude Bernabé
Sculpture . 80 x 46 x 17 cm Sculpture . 31.5 x 18.1 x 6.7 inch
CHF 6,357
Recommended by Artsper
Haude Bernabé
Sculpture . 149 x 100 x 40 cm Sculpture . 58.7 x 39.4 x 15.7 inch
CHF 13,003
Recommended by Artsper
Marie-Odile Wagner
Painting . 50 x 40 x 0.1 cm Painting . 19.7 x 15.7 x 0 inch
CHF 270
Recommended by Artsper
Marie-Odile Wagner
Painting . 100 x 100 x 2 cm Painting . 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
CHF 1,541
Recommended by Artsper
Marie-Odile Wagner
Painting . 60 x 60 x 1.7 cm Painting . 23.6 x 23.6 x 0.7 inch
CHF 433
Recommended by Artsper
Adrien Faveau
Painting . 81 x 130 x 2 cm Painting . 31.9 x 51.2 x 0.8 inch
CHF 2,601
Recommended by Artsper
Adrien Faveau
Painting . 120 x 120 x 2 cm Painting . 47.2 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch
CHF 3,467
Recommended by Artsper
Adrien Faveau
Painting . 130 x 97 x 2 cm Painting . 51.2 x 38.2 x 0.8 inch
CHF 2,601
Recommended by Artsper
Adrien Faveau
Painting . 81 x 116 x 2 cm Painting . 31.9 x 45.7 x 0.8 inch
CHF 2,601
Recommended by Artsper
Adrien Faveau
Painting . 100 x 100 x 2 cm Painting . 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
CHF 2,601
Recommended by Artsper
Adrien Faveau
Painting . 116 x 89 x 2 cm Painting . 45.7 x 35 x 0.8 inch
CHF 2,601
Recommended by Artsper
Adrien Faveau
Painting . 97 x 162 x 2 cm Painting . 38.2 x 63.8 x 0.8 inch
CHF 4,094
Recommended by Artsper
Adrien Faveau
Painting . 97 x 162 x 2 cm Painting . 38.2 x 63.8 x 0.8 inch
CHF 4,816
Recommended by Artsper
Antoine Josse
Painting . 99.8 x 99.8 x 5.1 cm Painting . 39.3 x 39.3 x 2 inch
CHF 3,103
Recommended by Artsper
Antoine Josse
Painting . 99.8 x 99.8 x 5.1 cm Painting . 39.3 x 39.3 x 2 inch
CHF 3,103
Recommended by Artsper
Clément Verdière
Painting . 130 x 97 x 3 cm Painting . 51.2 x 38.2 x 1.2 inch
CHF 4,816
Recommended by Artsper
Clément Verdière
Painting . 150 x 150 x 3 cm Painting . 59.1 x 59.1 x 1.2 inch
CHF 8,620
Recommended by Artsper
