Choosing Insightful Art That is Black & White in Abstract or Contemporary Formats.

In general those who languish within the world of art will absolutely die for the use of color. Color excites, entices, and provokes thought for them. It becomes part of the conversation with humanity. This is quite obviously a result of the fact that we are surrounded with color in our natural environment. If we are immersed in color why not let it come out in our choice of artwork? Why not let the mediums we choose to use utilize as much of what is around us and enmesh it within masterful paintings?

Nevertheless, color is being questioned in the contemporary art world. The new forms of art are developing a sense of what we can do with form, mass, and line without the use of color. Pressure, textures, and various mediums are now lending themselves to a wonderful popularity without the use of garish pigments overloaded to their saturation levels. As you may have noted on Exclusive Canvas Art we have been introducing more pieces with black and white motifs or simple monochromatic art works. I would even suggest that you seek out simple color themes denoted by their use of minimal mixtures of colors. Such as only Black and White mixed with one, two (perhaps complementary), or three color choices at most. It is these types of paintings that can enrich our sense from yet another dimension. It can allow us to decrease the noise associated with a paintings and allow for cleared communication with the artist. Furthermore, the deliberate aspect of not using color is a drastic statement on it's own, and have even become the essence of many aesthetics and some artists' purpose for creating art. That is, a desire to cleave the current world and enter the world of the artist. It should be noted that children will not develop the desire, capacity, or intent to begin to use color within their artwork up until the age of six. In fact, it isn't until they are within the range of six to nine years that they will begin to utilize symbolic items that are colored correctly. Such as a yellow sun appropriately placed, or a brown tree trunk with a green top. It is this regression that seems to be what most artists tap into for their wellsprings of creativity and wonderful freshness in their paintings.

Since this a relatively new concept within the contemporary art world, how do you choose to search for artwork that utilizes this monochromatic theme? Initially, you should understand that black and white art is not hidden within one contemporary field. These types of masterpieces can be found within and among most genres, and styles. You can find landscapes with this motif, textural abstracts, and even nude figures. The key is that they lend themselves to being a little more edgy. Take for example some floral art which usually is infused with color. It can become quite edgy if the background is black and white or monochromatic in nature and there is a burst of color in the center. Or perhaps the lack of color in an environment which we typically associate with high concentrations of color such as a sunflower painting. It should be noted that this edginess can oftentimes cause the artwork to be hyper criticized by art critics for being controversial. This is even more so when the lack of color is used in an historical narrative, political statement, or to highlight some inadequacy within an international agenda.

Obtaining excellent artwork should never supersede your tastes. In general, artwork is subjective only after it has achieved a level that is beyond the typical artist. As a connoisseurs of art you should be more attuned to understanding the subtleties that allow art to be claimed as good. Trying to grasp the historical placement of where a specific piece falls, as well as the aesthetic of a certain group of artists and how their philosophy mingled with whatever was current at the time is vital to fully grasping the undertones of a work. Line, pressure, mass, dimension, and placement are usually noted in gradients based on the arts historical context. Line becomes important for some of Picasso's line lino-cuts where he never lifted his tool from the starting point of the sketch. And mass is a huge contender in the way light played with mass in the impressionism movement. Placement became super important in the works of Chagall with his upside down and distorted flying figures (violinists, angles, his bride holding flowers, etc). Now applying this concept to the monochromatic or black and white art piece is simple. You would look at the aesthetic of the artist, then at the historical structures, take note of the important forms, drawing principles, and content. Only afterward, can you decide to assess how the black and white edginess comes into play with the statement that the artist making. If all items click you have a winner and your art will become a true investment over time. That piece of art will hold it's own conversation with new owners and become ensconced within each new generation of art lovers.

As a last note, I am often asked how it is that certain art pieces can generate conversations, debate, and be applied to so many things over the years. And the answer always lies in how those paintings communicated with the public. Has the artist been aware of the contention that society was debating during that time and then extrapolated the issue to a higher plane to paint on a level of existence beyond the superficial? It is not always about G-d or a nude woman reclining with grapes. But, it is always about the issues that G-d or that woman brought forth to their societies. If they are human issues then they will be able to transcend to future generations. To the artist; it is not about generalizations of the issue, but about fine tuning the issue to humanity.

Still not a fan of Black and White art, paintings, or sculptures? Shop for art by color.