We all wish life was as basic as black and white. Since life is full of complexities and can never be that simple, let us instead focus on some incredible artworks that remarkably depict scenes using just one colour.

A monochromatic or monochrome painting is created using just one hue or colour. It can be created using many shades of one colour but should constitute just one base colour. For over a hundred years, artists from around the world have used just one colour as the primary tool to explore the limitations as well as potentials of painting. This reductive form of art enables artists to get experimental with formal tonality and compositions. Below are some famous artists who mostly worked with monochrome.

Josef Albers: Homage to the Square series

Josef Albers was a German-American artist and is considered one of the best in monochromatic art. His paintings are based on exceptionally simple concepts, but the effect is extraordinary. His famous 'Homage to the Square' series constitutes four superimposed oil-applied squares. The intricate technical details of his creations are mind-blowing. This meticulous series was created by Albers to skillfully explore the significance of visual perception and the deceptiveness of colour.

Marlene Dumas: The Image as Burden

This monochromatic painting by the South African artist Marlene Dumas was inspired by a still from a classic film named Camille. While transforming the B&W still from the film into a painting, the artist modified its meaning and appearance to create an ambiguous subject. The postures of the figures depicted in the painting recall the pieta, where the Virgin Mary is portrayed cradling the perished body of Christ – but here, the roles have been reversed.

Olivier Mosset

This Swiss artist is solely dedicated to eradicating and exploring fixed ideas behind the meaning of being an artist. He is popularly known for his extensive monochromatic artworks. Mosset’s work lack metaphor and can be considered self-evident - mostly displaying an elimination of subjectivity and repetitive patterns. He created more than 200 identical paintings of a black circle placed right in the middle of a white canvas.

Agnes Martin

This Canadian-American artist specializes in abstract paintings by drawing inspiration from the beauty of nature. She is known for following a signature pattern that involves drawing a freehand grid, offering a foundation to create her monochromatic artworks of interlocking vertical and horizontal lines. Her impressive geometric masterpieces engage with nature. She works meticulously to add shifts in colour, rhythm, and scale to each work.

If you are impressed by their artworks, try tuning in with this genre of art and go monochromatic.