Colorless images might bring up many different associations for the viewer, including: nostalgia (alluding to black and white photography and movies), cheap modes of reproduction (such as copiers and newspapers), lifelessness, desolation, etc. Colorless works might also seem to be incomplete or unfinished.

With the attention to color eliminated, the artist can direct the viewer’s attention exclusively to the forms and shapes depicted.

Featured: Saint Jerome Penitent by Jan Gossaert.