Black and white vs colour? Joel Meyerowitz throws down the gauntlet

The veteran American snapper won’t surprise fans with his take on the age-old debate but he may still teach them a thing or two, writes Liam James

Sunday 19 November 2023 01:30 EST

West 46th Street, New York, 1976 (Joel Meyerowitz)

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Everything looks worse in black and white,” sang Paul Simon in his 1973 US hit “Kodachrome”.

The songwriter has admitted it was a throwaway lyric and he often sings the opposite.

Simon’s nonchalance is his own, however, and the question of black and white vs colour photography does still arouse serious debate in the art world.

Enter Joel Meyerowitz, a pioneer of colour shooting, with his latest book which presents his case for the superiority of saturation.

The American grandee formed his view around 60 years ago when he first set out to document the world as he saw fit.

When told serious photographers shoot black and white, the young Meyerowitz asked: “Why? When the world is in colour?”

He carried two cameras, one shooting black and white, the other colour, and set out to put his argument on film.

The resulting book, with accompanying text by Meyerowitz and artist and photographer Robert Shore, may fail to put the question to bed – Meyerowitz’s black-and-white work still shines – but those who take a view either way will be richer for this titan’s insight.

Joel Meyerowitz: A Question of Colour’ is available from Thames & Hudson here