The Power of Monochrome.

In light of two recent and illuminating shows on monochromatic works, (Monochromatic: Painting in Black and White at the National Gallery and the Picasso Black and White at the Guggenheim in New York), its worth taking a brief look at the power of monochromatic art and what value it holds in the context of art history.

The earliest surviving works of Western art made in grisaille were created in the Medieval Ages for devotional purposes, fast forward to the 20th Cenutry, Kazimir Malevich and artists like him were eliminating colour to create completely abstract pieces.  Notoriously, Picasso painted one of his most famous works Guernica in black and white.  The emotion and drama of this painting was heightened by the fact the work was devoid of any colour.

So what, couldn't anyone do that?

By the mid-20th Century artists like Ad Rheinhardt eliminated all traces of representation in his predominantly black paintings.  When he faced criticism and disdain for what alot of people thought they could themselves, he summed up the power of his abstractions in a cartoon sketch.  A gallery viewer mocks a painting on the wall: "Ha ha what does that represent?" The canvas, comes to life and angrily answers, "What do you represent?"

Monochrome works remain an important way for artists to make abstract work.  Yet for others it has come to symbolise everything that is believed to be elitist and difficult about modern and contemporary art.  We always have this is mind when prepapring our exhibitions, with the aim to break these barriers down.

Monochrome works can often lead us to discover something we havent noticed, or defining something in a new way.  Jemma Appleby does this with her immaculate charcoal pieces that highlight shadows and the fall of light on components of architecture that frame interiors and buildings in a new way.

Black and white forces us to think.  A picture full of colour attracts attention and calls out to be looked at.  Black and white demands we engage and subjects can actually look better and have more impact when the colour is limited or removed.  If we look at the range of an artist like Arnout Killian, his hyper-photorealistic paintings also trigger more abstract, monochrome works such as Closed, which while appearing completely abstract, does derive from a tangible subject in the real world.  In this case, the shadowy lines from closed shutters of a bungalow building.