In all areas of life, we are faced with a physical phenomenon such as color. It plays a decisive role in the process of interior decoration, in creating your own image, and also means a lot if you are related to painting. Everyone knows that the spectrum is divided into chromatic and achromatic colors: the former have shades, a certain level of lightness, saturation - in a word, these are all the colors that we see (red, green, blue, brown, and so on). As for the second, the lightest white, the darkest black, as well as numerous shades of gray, which are in the gap between the two above, are among them.
So, achromatic colors can otherwise be called colorless, neutral. They can differ from each other exclusively in luminosity, while not having a tone or shade. They are often used in our lives as basic and auxiliary, and also occupy far from the last place in contemporary art. In the past centuries, artists preferred to work with color - their paintings were painted in pastel, oil, colored coals. Those canvases on which the image was applied only in pencil were considered as sketches.
In the twentieth century, achromatic colors began to gain a leading position among masters in the field of painting. One of the first artists who began to paint their canvases in black and white was Pablo Picasso. Among his works it is worth highlighting “Guernica” - a complete abstraction, moreover, devoid of color. Picasso left many paintings in the form of sketches, without further filling with color. His self-portrait was made in a similar spirit, where the author invented himself in his youth.
Another representative of abstractionism was our compatriot Kazimir Malevich. The lightest and darkest achromatic colors fit into his world painting “Black Square”. It is also worth noting that in the rest of his works, color is present in full brightness, and black and white gamma is manifested only in detail. For example, his work entitled "Women in the Field" demonstrates the absence of smooth color transitions, gradation of shades. Both in the background and on the main details of the canvas, there are basic chromatic colors. Only the woman who is in the center is painted in black and white.
It is believed that achromatic colors belong to neutral, which are combined with all the others. However, this color scheme occupies a leading place among photographers today. It is believed that it is on a black and white photograph that the whole essence of the picture is manifested, especially when it comes to portraiture. Streets and cities are also shot in such tones; they are appropriate for some still lifes. There is even a separate “school of black and white photography”, which teaches you how to make colorless paintings. Unlike colorful photo cards, such works require much more talent and knowledge.
The color tone, whether it is depicted in a painting written in pencil, paints or in photography, conveys to us the mood, the essence of this composition. Using a colorless range, this is difficult to do. However, many world masterpieces show us that the artist’s skill is able to overcome this obstacle.