Abstract art paintings: contemporary and modern art artists.
When there´s value in an abstract artwork you will appreciate its visual power even if the artist only used black and white.
Kandinsky, Klee, Mondrian, Pollock, and many other outstanding abstract artists, at some point of their careers created unforgettable abstract paintings using a black and white combination.
We currently live in a world dominated by technology, computers and color TV, which allow us to see constant bright color combinations all around. This I believe is one of the main reasons why a simple black and white abstract painting has more power of attraction than ever before. It is its theoretical simplicity and execution what makes it big.
Since the beginning of the XXth century, occidental artists have used this combination… In this and some future posts I will show interesting abstract art paintings where the painter only used black and white “color” (I put the word color “in quotes” because there has always been controversy when deciding if black and white are colors)
The superior abstract paintings you are about to see can be classified in many different ways: some are geometrical abstract art expressions while others are more lyrical; some are big paintings while others are small ones; some are powerful art expressions with the minimum intervention of the artist while others are just the opposite, maximum expression with total abstract artist intervention; some came straight from the artist´s unconscious and seem to be more visceral and impulsive, while others follow a more rational intervention; some have been painted with oils, others with acrylics, and there is another group where the artist used nontraditional painting materials; some are straight line based while others are circular; some where made applying delicate brush strokes while others are more expressionist like creations; in some of them the painting surface was not entirely covered while in others it was almost or totally. As you can see, the pictorial possibilities are infinite, but at the end it is not that easy to create a valuable abstract piece (click here for a better understanding of what a committed abstract artist is)
Enjoy this article and when finished please contribute to this conversation by sharing the article and/or adding names of contemporary and modern art abstract artists or paintings that you believe are worth mentioning in future articles about this Topic. Thanks.
Piet Mondrian black and white painting
Jackson Pollock black and white painting
Gedanken bei Schnee, 1933 Paul Klee black and white painting
Robert Motherwell. Untitled (Iberia), 1963 (22” X 30”)
Antonio Basso black and white abstract painting. Tie#1. Acrylic on wood and hemp strings (61x81cms)
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January 5, 2013 - 12:53 pm
Hi there, and thanks for a great article, reminding me of these great artists who have inspired me very much throughout my paintingcareer…Other artists very much worth mentioning in this topic is also K.R.H. Sonderborg, a danish artist and of course Pierre Soulages….also Mogens Andersen and last but not least Claus Carstensen who might not fit in completely but who also has made amazing black and white works…
January 5, 2013 - 1:23 pm
Hello Ulla, thanks a lot for including your interesting suggestions. Some of the artists you mention will be included in future articles about this topic. Best Regards
Antonio Basso
January 5, 2013 - 3:07 pm
Hello Antonio! That sounds really good!! I look forward to reading them! Best regards, Ulla
January 5, 2013 - 5:57 pm
You wellcome Ulla. Take care. Antonio
January 5, 2013 - 1:04 pm
Hey and not to forget….Franz Kline, an american abstract painter, from the 1950´s-60´s as far as I remember, an absolute sublime black and white ekspert…:-)
January 5, 2013 - 6:33 pm
Thanks for your comment on my blog! There’s something so powerful about a black and white abstract and it was nice to get a glimpse of some of these artists (and a little education at the same time)
January 5, 2013 - 6:35 pm
You wellcome Kimberly, I totally agree with your “a little education” sentence :). Rgds and take care.
Antonio Basso
February 18, 2013 - 10:46 am
[…] I do believe that Rothko right at the end of his artistic career and life, finally found the way to transmit what he had tryed for almost two decades. This grey abstract paintings exhibited in London reflect what I mean. See also this for more interesting black and white painting examples […]