Painting "without color" has long held a fascination for artists. In this striking and original book, the authors explore how and why artists from the 15th century to the present have chosen to paint in black, white, and shades of gray. Sometimes artists used trompe l'oeil monochromatic effects to represent other media, such as sculpture, prints, or photography; others have consciously limited their palette as a means of re-focusing the viewer's attention, while contemporary artists such as Gerhard Richter and Bridget Riley have often found inspiration in pushing black and white to its limits, and in new directions. The authors trace the history of this art form, from the symbolism of sacred images in medieval church ritual - epitomized in Netherlandish painting from the 15th century onwards by Hans Memling and Jan van Eyck - to the modern era and the work of artists such as Josef Albers and Ellsworth Kelly.


Published by National Gallery Company/Distributed by Yale University Press

Exhibition Schedule:

National Gallery, London
(10/30/17-02/18/18)

Museum Kunstpalast, Dusseldorf
(03/21/18-07/15/18)

About the Author

Lelia Packer is the former McCrindle Curatorial Assistant at the National Gallery, London. Jennifer Sliwka is the deputy director of the Visual Commentary on Scripture project and senior research fellow at Kings College London.

Book Information
ISBN 9781857096149
Author Lelia Packer
Format Hardback
Page Count 272
Imprint National Gallery Company Ltd
Publisher National Gallery Company Ltd
Weight(grams) 1497g