Black and White

Photography has been employed as an artistic medium practically since its inception in c. 1822 by French inventor Nicéphore Niépce. Of course, photography has come a long way since then: it has transformed from film to digital and from black and white to colour, and it is now readily available – and in high quality – at our fingertips, thanks to smartphones.

Be this as it may, nothing beats the aesthetics of 18th- and 19th-century black and white photography. Containing history, fashion, aesthetics and culture in a mere click of a moment, these works provide endless hours of things to look at. Not to mention they look great in the walls of homes.

Auction house Catawiki has a seriously impressive range of black and white photography available in their forthcoming auction, taking place on Sunday 28 October. Let’s take a look.

The film Bohemian Rhapsody opened just this week in cinemas across the United Kingdom, stirring and rekindling our interest in the band Queen. Here, photography Martyn Goddard has captured Freddie Mercury, lead singer of Queen, playing his grand piano under the spotlight at a gig in Southampton in 1975.

The work is printed on archival paper and signed and numbered 7 of 25.

Another portrait of a famous figure, albeit in a slightly different style, this stunning work by Lucien Clergue (1934-2014) is from 1982. In it, Clergue has captured the artist Pablo Picasso at the beach. It has been signed by the artist in the margin of the bottom right.

Mario Giacomelli (1925-2000) was a self-taught Italian photographer and photojournalist, working in the genre of humanism. He was known for working in a particular style, producing high-contrast images so that nearly-black forms ‘float’ against a white background.

This is certainly true of Presa di Coscienza Sulla Natura (meaning ‘Consciousness of Nature’), which has been signed on the back and front and authenticated by expert and heir Simone Giacomelli.

Learn how to place your bid at Catawiki here 

There’s something about black and white photography – whether it’s its contrasts, sharp lines, beautiful patterns or its suggestion of a particular moment in time – which makes one better appreciate the depth of history.

Regardless what makes you drawn to photography, particularly black and white photography, there is no doubt the artists amongst this collection of works from Catawiki have a deep sensitivity for and understanding of humanism and nature.

Click here to discover all lots from Catawiki at Barnebys