
   
      
         
            Lauren Ballinger
            05/12/08
          
            Reaching Transcendence through the Elimination of color:
            The Ideal Minimalism of Black and White

            The world is made up of a myriad of colors. color gives distinction to our life, it
               gives flavor and meaning. What would our lives be without color? At the same time in
               our modern society, color has been seen as an external threat to be purged from the
               enlightened mind and space. color is seen as corrupting, intoxicating, disorienting
               and in art, has come to be associated with the vulgar and the kitsch. We went from
               times of celebrating color and decoration to one of minimalism where black and white
               were placed at the front as representations of modernity and ultimate transcendence.
               What is the significance for this preference for black and white when it comes to
               high art? Why in a world filled with color do we feel the need to purge it from our
               space? What exactly is the debate between colorlessness vs color and more
               specifically can black and white be considered non-colors? 
            Ever since the dawn of man, human society has evolved in ways which attempt to
               ultimately control nature. Seeing as color is something of the natural world, age
               old and archaic, washing it away from our lives is the ultimate form of rising above
               the physical world. “Intelligent beings have a language represented by articulate
               sounds; organized beings, like all animals and vegetables, express themselves by
               cries or forms, contour or carriage. Inorganic nature has only the language of
               color. It is by color alone that a certain stone tells us it is a sapphire or
               emerald… color, then, is the peculiar characteristic of the lower forms of nature,
               while drawing becomes the medium of expression, more and more dominant, the higher we
               rise in the scale of being”(Blanc, Chromophobia, p.25). The history of color is
               about the ways in which man has tried to find the ideal state of being throughout the
               ages. 
            In the Far East, reaching a state of colorless-ness is associated with the highest
               state of spiritual being, the state of Zen. What is typical of this sort of ascetism
               is the art of expressing as much as possible using the minimum as an ideal. This is
               apparent through Japanese haiku as well as the art of ink painting in both China and
               Japan. For them, reaching the greatest depths of spirituality demanded expression in
               its most minimal form. This reduction of color and expression proved the purity the
               artist had reached within himself, it was a means of reducing down to the essence of
               a thing. 
            In the Elimination of color in the Far East, Izutsu explains though how this
               ultimate state of minimalism can only be reached through an appreciation and fine
               knowledge of color. “This artistic acestism, i.e., the suppression of externals and
               the reduction of all colors to black and white, manifests its real aesthetic
               function only against the background of a highly refined sensibility for colors and
               their subtle hues. In other words, the true profundity of the beauty of black and
               white is disclosed only to those eyes that are able to appreciate the splendors of
               sumptuous and glowing colors with all their delicate shades and tints”(Izutsu, p.
               169). For black and white can only be seen as distinguishing against a background of
               color and for this very reason one can assert that both black and white are colors
               in themselves as non-colors. 
            It is through the absence of color that one brings to mind the colors that are no
               longer present. It is up to the mind to fill in the blank space. Without color one
               could not appreciate the purity of the black and white space. colorlessness needs
               color in order to for the full aesthetic experience to take place. “That is to say,
               under the total absence of color, there is a vague reminiscence of all colors that
               have been “killed”(Izutsu, p. 177). Black and white are the consummation of all
               colors into one. “Black is life; it is the infinite possibility of expression and
               development. Black here is not sheer black. For in it’s negation of all colors, all
               colors are positively affirmed”(Izutsu, p. 193). It is through these means that one
               finds the essence in a thing. 
            In Western society, this purging of color began with the rejection of ideals of
               generations past. Eliminating color was a way of eliminating the decadence of the
               18th century. Society turned to minimalism as a way of cleansing life, representing
               modernity. color became a moral issue, seen as something sensuous and dangerous in
               its secondary nature to the essence of life and form. “The predominance of color at
               the expense of drawing is a usurpation of the relative over the absolute, of fleeting
               appearance over permanent form, of physical impression over the empire of the
               soul”(Chromophobia, p. 28). color rests on the surface of an object, it is
               superficial, cosmetic and therefore deceptive since it hides the true nature of that
               thing. 
            color is associated with the Fall from Grace. It is something which speaks to the
               senses, not the mind, it is external and therefore secondary to life. It deals with
               the body, emotions, not the intellect. It strays from reason in the way which it
               consumes and manipulates life. “color was a permanent internal threat, an
               ever-present inner other which, if unleashed, would be the ruin of everything, the
               fall of culture. For [Charles Blanc] color also represents a kind of ruination.
               color for him signifies the mythical savage state out of which civilization, the
               nobility of the human spirit, slowly, heroically, has lifted itself – but back into
               which it could always slide”(Chromophobia, p. 23). It is a descent in the way it
               makes one lose consciousness and enter into the physical world of desire, and to
               desire is to lose control over oneself. Thus, began the cult of the black and white. 
            White is seen as representing spirituality, the heavens, and light, it is all which
               is modern, it signifies the opposite of the carnal nature of color. It is the
               control of nature, and the body and represents the modern man. 
            “WHITE is the spiritual color of our times, the clearness which directs all out
               actions. It is neither grey white, nor vory white, but pure white. 
            WHITE is the color of modern times, the color which dissipates a whole era; our era
               is perfection, purity, certitude.
            WHITE It includes everything.
            We have superceded both the ‘brown’ of decadence and classiscm and the ‘blue’ of
               divisionism, the cult of the blue ky, the gods with green beards and the
               spectrum.
            WHITE pure white.”(Chromophobia, p. 47). 
            For these reasons black and white have been placed at the top of the hierarchy of
               colors. Abolishing color means controlling color. “The white surface exposes
               color, presents it for disciplining. It keeps an eye on all the objects it frames.
               But before that, it keeps an eye on itself, watching its freshly laundered and neatly
               folded fabric for the stain of color”(Wigly, p. 151). colorlessness is not natural,
               and thus proves man’s superiority over this world. 
            On the other hand, we need color in order to distinguish black and white. Just as
               those from the Far East, the purity of white implies what has been washed away and
               thus makes the white glitter even more. White and black stand out because of color,
               and color stand out because of white and black. They are linked intrinsically
               together, one cannot go without the other. “White is the setting for color.. In a
               mosque for example, the architectonic effect of its white garment is assisted by a
               strategic use of color: “All these things are clothed in a majestic coat of
               whitewash. The forms stand out clearly; the impeccable construction displays all its
               boldness. At times a high stylobate of delightful ceramic produces a blue vibration.”
               The sensuous vibration of the color clarifies the white surface whose limit it
               marks”(Wigley, p. 209). We need this opposition between color and ‘non-color’ to make
               distinction between the two, otherwise neither would hold such significance. White
               helps to harmonize colors that would otherwise clash, it brings together and unites.
               “White expresses a certain incorporeality. The use of white is therefore decisive for
               the bodily appearance of a space. Concrete bodies decrease the space more or less
               depending on their color value. Against white, one can actually establish the
               intensity of clashing colors; white determines the tone in the first place. Because
               of this it is possible to take up any given colors and make them harmonize”(Wigley,
               p. 311). 
            For this reason white walls are favored over colored ones for both galleries and
               architectural spaces. The white of the walls intensifies the color of what is set
               before them. It stabilizes and controls forms because it brings to light the contours
               of the space. “In the white painted room the clarity of spatial sensation and
               disposition was surest and most convincing, all the details of the form and color of
               the furnishings could be developed undisturbed in front of this background…In this a
               form was discovered which was completely convincing in its simplicity and which could
               be seen as one of the essential formulas for wall treatment in “closed”
               spaces”(Wigley, p. 313). 
            There is another important aspect which white is representative of, and that is the
               well educated and socially elite. In the 19th century it became fashionable for
               bourgeois women to dress in white, while men dressed in black (Wigley). These
               distinctions proved a certain rational order, only attained by those able to afford
               of it. White walls, white clothing, they both require much more maintenance than
               something colored where a stain can merely hide away among the other colors. Crisp
               whiteness on the other hand expresses a sort of luxury, and leisure. White clothing
               proved that someone was of a level of society in which they were not forced to work,
               for the clothing would immediately become soiled if not and thus the reason why women
               who were the ones to stay at home dressed in all white, while men who were the ones
               to go out and work wore black, for black did in fact hide stains. 
            The same goes with white walls, in their impeccability it proved to whoever, that the
               owner could afford to not live actually live in this space, or could afford more
               simply for the upkeep and constant fresh coats of paint. Both as well were signs of
               the modern age man had reached. “Pure white was de rigueur, partly because of its
               exciting novelty, partly because it emphasized the smoothly mechanical texture, and
               pointed the contrast between it and surrounding nature”(Wigley, p. xvii). The use of
               white was proof that man had conquered nature. 
            The use of white and black in dress and architecture also became a way of
               distinguishing oneself from the vulgar, normal, lower classes. “..it is also worthy
               of remark, that savage nations, uneducated people, and children have a great
               predilection for vivid colors; that animals are excited to rage by certain colors;
               that people of refinement avoid vivid colors in their dress and the objects that are
               about them, and seem inclined to banish them altogether from their
               presence”(Chromophobia, p. 112). Furthermore, with the advent of industrialization
               the invention of new synthetic dyes meant that color in dress became democratized for
               all classes. Now, anyone could afford to wear colorful clothing and the masses began
               to dress themselves in what once would have been inconceivable to them. 
            Thus said, the use of black in white in wardrobe perhaps was a way for the new
               bourgeoisie to distinguish themselves from the decadence of the upper class and the
               vulgarity from the low. “In the prevailing styles of the European bourgeoisie, there
               long survived a tendency to limit the use of color, with strong emphasis on what are
               generally thought of as non colors, such as white, black and gray”(The Style Engine,
               p. 40). Another reason why it is believed that the bourgeoisie took preference in
               black and white is because of the Victorian sobriety of the age and their obsession
               with purity and cleanliness. Wearing black and white also marked the distinction of
               labor between men and women and in a highly rigid and segmented society, the wearing
               of different colors seemed the most obvious way to do so. This simplicity of dress
               was seen as a mark of the modern man. 
            Other major technologies during the age of industrialization also had an effect on
               this preference for black and white. Photography took over as a means of portraiture
               for the bourgeois and the upper class and despite the fact that it was possible to
               color the photographs, for the most part they were left in black and white because it
               was seen as more “natural”. Above all, it is believed that the expanse of literacy
               and the printed word, mainly the newspaper, had a profound effect in influencing the
               choice of black and white. “This world was viewed as orderly and relatively uniform,
               a world in “black and white”. This led to the idea of writing = rationality =
               production that confined images, especially images in color, to the emerging field of
               “art”, which was understood as an essential activity but one that was essentially
               unproductive, while it assigned to the two-toned and orderly world of printed paper
               the role of a daily guide to existence”(The Style Engine, p. 42). The world of print
               was therefore seen as something serious for the modern man. 
            Black and white became a symbol for the superiority of man’s intellect and
               technology. This then translated down into the world of fashion, as seen with the
               distinction between black and white clothing, as well as art, namely photography but
               also film and as discussed before architecture and gallery space. 
            Seeing as since the time of Aristotle, form was valued over that of color, the arts
               which did not require color to be enjoyed were perceived to be that of a higher form.
               The explosion of mass production and printing allowed for a plethora of colorful
               advertising and consumer goods which came to be known as kitsch. “Kitsch is a product
               of the industrial revolution which urbanized the masses of Western Europe and America
               and established what is called universal literacy”(Greenberg). In order to meet the
               demand of mass markets cheap and bright things of little use were made to attract the
               attention of consumers. Kitsch made cheap what once was truly cultural by the way it
               reproduced it d infinitum. Greenberg continues by saying, “Kitsch, using for raw
               material the debased and academicized simulacra of genuine culture, welcomes and
               cultivates this insensibility. It is the source of its profits. Kitsch is mechanical
               and operates by formulas. Kitsch is vicarious experience and faked sensations. Kitsch
               changes according to style, but remains always the same. Kitsch is the epitome of all
               that is spurious in the life of our times. Kitsch pretends to demand nothing of its
               customers except their money -- not even their time”. With the advent of kitsch came
               a great need for the distinction between higher and lower artforms. Avant guard at
               the time was considered to be true art, while this kitsch was simply pure imitation. 
            Thus said, this along with the influence of black and white print perhaps was the
               cause for the belief that which was black and white was deemed a serious, high art,
               while that which was colorful was mere rubbish and imitation for the lower classes.
               Of course during the early stages of color film and photography, the quality was so
               poor that it gave a cheap look, whereas black and white film really allowed one to
               see the light and the shadows in the images. For the play of light and form was key
               in demonstrating the true art form. That was what made up the essence of an image,
               not the artificial, or superficial filling in of form with color. Color was thought
               to distract the viewer from the soul of the image. 
            These beliefs have changed since color technology as tweeked to the point of being
               almost better than reality. Still though black and white is seen as something of a
               more sober tradition. Photographers still use black and white and white is still the
               most widely used color for walls within gallery spaces. These non colors allow for
               the appreciation of color. When something is black and white, it allows the mind to
               fill in and imagine for itself the amazing colors that must exist beyond the screen.
               Many actually complained with the invention of color in movies that this stunted the
               mind since one was forced to look at the garish colors placed before them. It is for
               this reason that ultimately the use of black and white is seen as more of an
               intellectual process. It forces one to imagine, it forces one to delve into the core
               of the object. Whether it mean going beyond the mind or simply the purity of non
               color, the use of black and white has been debated over for the last hundred years.
               Now we have entered an era where we are seeing once again more color, but perhaps it
               is human instinct, to want to surpass and rebel against generations before, so
               possibly we shall return to a state of non color veneration. Thus is the ebb and
               flow of life. 

         
      
   
