Famous Black-and-White Paintings – Must-See Artworks

As humans, we are often drawn to color as it is stimulating for our brains. Color can be used as a tool to help us express ourselves where words fail. Many of the most celebrated artworks in the world are popular due to the artist’s impressive ability to use color. However, black-and-white artwork can be just as striking if done correctly. To show this, we have put together a list of ten of the most famous black and white paintings.

Why Do Artists Make Black-and-White Art?

There are several reasons why artists may choose to create black-and-white artworks. Sometimes, these choices relate to the visual effect the artist wants to create, whilst others are more personal and symbolic. In this section, the thought process of black-and-white artists will be examined. There was a massive shift in art from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. This is mainly because of the development of the chiaroscuro technique.

Chiaroscuro is an Italian word that translates directly into “light-dark”. It is when artists use high-contrast shades (like black and white) to add volume to a painting, thus making it appear three-dimensional.

To show off their mastery of chiaroscuro, artists would make use of only pure white and black, mixing the two to create tonal value. In 1436, the printing press was created by Johannes Gutenberg. At first, it was simply used to print important books, most notably the bible. However, a few hundred years later, artists realized they could use this same press to create reproductions of their artworks, allowing them to sell multiple copies. To make their artworks easier for engravers to transfer, they would create black-and-white copies.

Odalisque in Grisaille (c. 1824 – 1834) by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres; Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Jump forward to the 1900s, many artists took inspiration from these black-and-white replicas of famous artworks. Rather than simply a guide, they decided to use this technique to create famous black-and-white paintings on canvas. At this time, black-and-white art was rare, making it dramatic and eye-catching. Scientists have determined that when we are born, the cones that help us interpret color are not yet fully formed. Therefore, the first colors we see in infancy are black, white, and shades of gray.

The human eye can also distinguish more shades of gray in a black-and-white image than shades of color in a polychromatic one. This might explain why, subconsciously, we are drawn to famous black-and-white art.

The colors black and white are symbolic in many cultures around the world. Many of these cultures have different opinions on what each color symbolizes though. For example, in many Western cultures white symbolizes life and purity, whilst black is linked to death and the macabre. In the East, however, white is often associated with death and mourning, with black representing power. Whatever symbolism one chooses, it is almost universal that black and white create a paradox. This is likely why black-and-white Abstract art is so emotive.

Famous Black-and-White Paintings

Some of the most celebrated artists in the world are black-and-white painters, even if you don’t know it. Many of the artists in this list will surprise you, as they are known for their bright, colorful paintings. However, even those that love to use color can see the value in creating black-and-white art.

Witches’ Sabbath (The Great He-Goat) (c. 1821 – 1823) by Francisco Goya

Francisco Goya was a Spanish painter of the Romantic era. He is an important figure in the history of art as he is known for bridging the gap between the old and the new. Whilst he had all the technical skills of an old master, he also had the desire to make a statement with his art that many modern artists possess. During his lifetime, he witnessed a large amount of political upheaval and violence, which left him disillusioned with the world.

This, coupled with the deafness he experienced due to an unknown ailment, caused him to withdraw from society in his later years.

Witches’ Sabbath (The Great He-Goat) (c. 1821 – 1823) by Francisco Goya; Francisco de Goya, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

During his period of isolation, Goya created a series of 14 nightmarish murals that we now call The Black Paintings (c.1821 – 1823). Witches’ Sabbath (The Great He-Goat) was one of these ghoulish paintings. The title of the painting (originally El Gran Carbón in Spanish) was given by artist Antonio Brugada as Goya did not intend for these paintings to be seen. This makes his thoughts behind this famous black-and-white painting subject for debate.

However, little explanation is needed as the mural effectively instills a feeling of dread in the viewer regardless.

Cart With Black Ox (1884) by Vincent van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh is considered by many to be one of the greatest artists in the world. That is why many will be surprised to know that before he became an artist, Van Gogh was also a teacher, a bookstore clerk, and a priest. After failing at each of these professions he immersed himself in art, which sadly he believed was a failure too as he did not gain fame until after his death. Yet, despite his tragic history, most of his artworks inspire joy in their viewers. His most famous, colorful paintings include Sunflowers (1888), Irises (1889), and The Starry Night (1889).

Few think of Van Gogh as a black-and-white painter due to his colorful later work.

Cart With Black Ox (1884) by Vincent van Gogh; Vincent van Gogh, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

However, his early works use much more somber color schemes. Cart With Black Ox was painted while Van Gogh was still living in the Netherlands. His artwork from this time often featured poor rural life, in this case, a skinny ox with a dilapidated cart attached to its back.

Thus, Van Gogh kept the color scheme dark in order to add to the feeling of desperation present in the painting.

The Black Square (1915) by Kazimir Malevich

Kazimir Malevich was an ethnic Pole born near Kyiv, Ukraine. Although many believe that he was Russian, Kazimir emphatically referred to himself as Ukrainian. Whilst Malevich loved living in Ukraine, there were few opportunities for artists there at the time. So, he moved to Russia where he participated in several art movements and even developed his own called Suprematism. Suprematism is an Abstract art movement that focuses on geometric forms within confined color palettes.

From the 1920s onwards, during Stalin’s time in power, Abstract art was banned and only Socialist Realism was allowed.

The Black Square (1915) by Kazimir Malevich; Kazimir Malevich, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Black Square is one of the famous pieces of black-and-white Abstract art. This is largely due to the dispute it has caused since its conception. When The Black Square was first exhibited in 1915, Malevich contentiously placed it in the eastern corner of the room, which was often reserved for worship in the Eastern Orthodox faith. Malevich claimed that the black square symbolized the creator, whilst the white background represented the void.

Whilst he was a very spiritual being, he rejected many of the notions and practices of organized religion.

Morning Glory With Black (1926) by Georgia O’Keeffe

Georgia O’Keeffe was an American artist who made immeasurable contributions to modern art. O’Keeffe knew she wanted to be an artist from a very young age. Her parents encouraged this by funding art lessons for her and her sisters. After high school, she studied at the School of Art Institute of Chicago and then at the Art Students League in New York City.

O’Keeffe was often top of her class and received numerous accolades. She was a very dynamic artist and practiced Abstraction as well as Realism.

O’Keeffe loved to paint flowers. Throughout her career, she created around 200 paintings of them. She often chose interesting close-up angles to paint these flowers, which made them stand out above the rest. Some of these flower paintings have been criticized as being purposely reminiscent of female genitalia. However, O’Keeffe has denied this being intentional. Morning Glory With Black is elegant and captivating.

Black and white are the primary colors in the painting, yet subtle traces of yellow help infuse the delicate petals with life.

Horse Skull With White Rose (1931) by Georgia O’Keeffe

O’Keeffe met art dealer and photographer Alfred Stieglitz in 1918. He was blown away by her artistic abilities and helped her get her art career off the ground. The two became involved in a relationship (although Stieglitz was married at the time) and later married. However, their marriage turned sour as Stieglitz became controlling although by this point O’Keeffe was the breadwinner of the household.

In order to break free from her controlling husband, she often went on painting trips to New Mexico.

Stieglitz eventually began a longstanding affair with a woman almost a decade younger than his daughter. This domestic pressure caused O’Keeffe to have a nervous breakdown and be hospitalized in 1932. Once she was released, she moved to New Mexico permanently. O’Keeffe painted Horse Skull With White Rose one year before her breakdown, whilst on a trip to New Mexico.

She was not known for being a black-and-white artist, so the dull hues likely expressed her inner turmoil better than color.

The contrast between the skull and the rose is believed to show the closeness of life and death. O’Keeffe collected many skulls during her time in the desert. They feature frequently in her later artworks, often accompanied by various flowers.

Guernica (1937) by Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso was a Spanish artist who lived between 1881 and 1973. He was one of the leading artists of the 20th century and along with Georges Braque founded the Cubism art movement. Cubism was an Abstract art style in which abstract geometric shapes were repeated from several angles giving the image a distorted appearance. Picasso also experimented with styles such as Post-Impressionism, Surrealism, and Expressionism. He exhibited with avant-garde artists in groups such as Der Blaue Reiter.

Guernica is Picasso’s most well-known artwork and one of the most famous black-and-white paintings on canvas.

Guernica (1937) by Pablo Picasso; Herbert Behrens / Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Its powerful political statement has made it one of the most studied paintings in art history. Picasso painted Guernica during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) after the German and Italian troops air raided the Basque town of Guernica. This was performed at the request of the Spanish Nationalist party, who were trying to weaken Spanish Republican forces. Countless civilian lives were lost in this bombing.

Picasso created Guernica to draw international attention to the atrocities taking place in Spain.

Although much is up for interpretation, he explained that the bull in the painting represents the brutality of the Nationalists, whilst the horse represents the helpless citizens of Guernica. Bodies are strewn around the painting, emphasizing the violence of the civil war. Color is absent from the painting, thus reinforcing feelings of horror and desperation.

Zebra (1937) by Victor Vasarely

Victor Vasarely was a Hungarian artist who spent the majority of his life living and working as an artist in France. Vasarely drew inspiration from a variety of sources throughout his life. One of these was the Bauhaus movement, a German artistic and architectural movement defined by geometric shapes and functionality. Another was Constructivism, which was similar to Bauhaus but with roots in Russia as opposed to Germany and an emphasis on Cubism and Futurism.

However, by the 1940s he had developed his own unique style, which would go on to inspire the Op art movement.

Zebra is the most famous black-and-white art piece that Vasarely created. The black-and-white color palette complements the subject matter perfectly. The painting features two zebras abstractly intertwined in an erotic embrace. The merging of their stripes creates an interesting optical illusion that draws the viewer into the painting. The effect is similar to that of a hypnosis wheel, making it difficult to look away.

Vasarely created two versions of Zebra, one on a black background and one on a white in which the colors are inverted.

The Charnel House (c. 1944 – 1945) by Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso’s artwork can be seen in art galleries worldwide, making his influence incredibly far-reaching. Picasso was a child prodigy and created more than 150,000 artworks in the 80 years of his art career. The evolution of his artworks is often described in terms of eight phases. These are categorized as early works, Blue Period, Rose Period, African Period, Cubism, Neoclassicism, Surrealism, and finally, his later works. The most expensive Picasso painting (Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust painted in 1932) sold for $106,5 million in 2010. Due to their high price tag, Picasso’s are also some of the most stolen artworks in history.

The Charnel House (alternative title Le Charnier) is another of Picasso’s antiwar artworks.

A charnel house is a building – often attached to a church – in which human bones are stored. When graveyards became too full, skeletons would be moved to the charnel house to make room for more bodies. Although he did explicitly intend to create another antiwar artwork, Picasso said he was moved to paint The Charnel House after witnessing photos of mass graves at Nazi concentration camps.

Living in Paris whilst it was occupied by the Nazis (1940 – 1944), Picasso was confronted with the realities of World War II on a daily bases.

Chief (1950) by Franz Kline

Franz Kline was an American artist who is often grouped with artists of the New York School. The New York School was a group of creatives who were inspired by avant-garde movements like Surrealism, Action Painting, and Abstract Expressionism. During the 1940s, Kline’s art style started to become more abstract and developed into what he became famous for today.

It was also during this time that Kline was given the nickname “the black-and-white artist” because of the many famous black-and-white paintings he created in his career.

In the late 1940s, Kline felt as though he was in an artistic rut. He was advised by his friend and fellow artist William de Kooning to study the way everyday objects could be obscured with a projector. This spurred the creation of many pieces of black-and-white Abstract art, including Chief. Chief was the name of an old train, which traveled through Pennsylvania, the town in which Kline was raised. Therefore, although his painting is nonrepresentational, Kline hints at its inspiration.

His black-and-white artworks were also sometimes inspired by Japanese calligraphy, which to those who cannot read it may appear as abstract.

Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 110 (1971) by Robert Motherwell

Robert Motherwell was an American avant-garde artist and writer, who, like Kline, was a member of the New York School. Motherwell was a student of philosophy at Stanford University, which was highly apparent in his intellectual artwork. He was an avid reader who was inspired by the symbolism in literary works by writers such as Edgar Allen Poe and James Joyce. Therefore, he included his symbolic meaning in his artworks.

Motherwell also used the technique of Surrealist Automatism – a technique in which the artist paints without intention and allows their subconscious to the forefront – to create his art.

The barbarity of the Spanish Civil War was felt far and wide. Even those who were not directly affected by it, such as Motherwell, felt an overwhelming urge to express their feelings towards it in their art. Motherwell created around 200 paintings on the topic, although he stated that it was not simply the war that inspired him, but the violence of the Hispanic culture as a whole.

There are many interpretations of Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 110 due to its abstract nature.

The shapes in the painting have been interpreted as reproductive organs, to comment on the fragility of life. Others view them as symbolic of the buildings that were bombed during the Spanish Civil War. Whatever the case may be, it is apparent that this famous black-and-white painting is not a tale of joy.

This list of famous black-and-white paintings makes it clear that skilled artists do not need to use color to create brilliant artwork. Instead, the absence of color can help them express their feelings – especially those toward the darker aspects of life on earth. So, if you were fascinated by these famous black-and-white paintings, keep looking, as there are many more out there.

Take a look at our black-and-white art webstory here!

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Artists Are Known for Being Black-and-White Painters?

Countless artists throughout history have created black-and-white artworks. However, there are some that create black-and-white art more frequently than any other type of art. This is particularly true when it comes to Abstract artists. Therefore, the artists that first spring to mind are Kazimir Malevich and Franz Kline, both of whom were frequent black-and-white artists.

What Do You Call Black-and-White Paintings?

Due to its popularity throughout time, there are a number of names for paintings created using only black, white, and mixtures of the two. The most common names are monochrome paintings, grayscale paintings, and grisaille paintings, in which black and white are used to paint something that looks like a three-dimensional sculpture.

Jordan Anthony( Content Editor, Art Writer, Photographer )

Jordan Anthony is a Cape Town-based film photographer, curator, and arts writer. She holds a Bachelor of Art in Fine Arts from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, where she explored themes like healing, identity, dreams, and intuitive creation in her Contemporary art practice. Jordan has collaborated with various local art institutions, including the KZNSA Gallery in Durban, the Turbine Art Fair, and the Wits Art Museum. Her photography focuses on abstract color manipulations, portraiture, candid shots, and urban landscapes. She’s intrigued by philosophy, memory, and esotericism, drawing inspiration from Surrealism, Fluxus, and ancient civilizations, as well as childhood influences and found objects. Jordan is working for artfilemagazine since 2022 and writes blog posts about art history and photography.

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