iconic black-and-white photos photoshopped in colour

iconic black-and-white photos photoshopped in colour



sanna dullaway uses photoshop to bring colour to some of the most iconic historical black-and-white photographs, as in this portrait of anne frank


swedish artist sanna dullaway renders iconic black-and-white photographs in colour,
utilizing primarily photoshop CS 5. dullaway, who offers a recolouring and restoration service
for old photographs, undertook the works-- alongside processing old family photos-- as a personal project.

already controversial, raising questions of the reappropriation of culturally significant imagery,
as well as the boundaries of what classifies something as art, the recoloured photographs
are also technically striking, generally achieving a colour and climate that is not only realistic
but also largely consistent with the tonalities achievable or popular at the time. each piece takes
approximately two to three hours to finish.

editor's note: designboom has removed many of the photographs included in the original post, some of which are referenced  in the comments below,
at the request of the artist as a result of copyright claims by the rightsholders of the original photographs.




portrait of abraham lincoln






portrait of august strindberg



original photo: 'a harvest of death' at the battle of gettysburg, by timothy o'sullivan



photograph from liverpool's canada dock, 1909, featuring first chieef engineer of mauretania john currie


via petapixel, via mashkulture

jenny db
01.18.12  
30
awesone!
lorry   01.18.12
amazing work
EA Berlin   01.19.12
rebirth.
The V-J is just too amazing.
Thanks
tak   01.19.12
wow
globalporco   01.19.12
Incredible!!
Sebastian   01.19.12
Totally fucked them. These kids with too much time on their hands would do something useful.
Tony Blair   01.19.12
blasphemy
dbkii   01.19.12
this is so surreal.
unexpectedly i think most of these images are just as striking in color, which is maybe testament to just being great photos. now when i see the V-J one i feel like i have always seen it in color.

what an amazing series. it seems like it should be the opposite but there is something about being in color that brings you much more back to that moment.
rina g.   01.19.12
A terrible idea. The images aren\'t toys, they have potent historical contexts and meanings. By earnestly adding color arbitrarily chosen, you pervert and diminish the image, and risk confusing the historical record for those who don\'t know the difference -- which apparently includes Dullaway. Pure poshlust.
Mort D\'Urban   01.19.12
I hate this. what's wrong with the fucking black and white?
Find art some place else, and stop piggy-backing on real photographers.
Lizzy   01.19.12
stunning
david   01.19.12
Hahaa, good work, worse comments. You ppl who hate this, try doing it yourself. Exactly.
fin   01.19.12
Please understand that these are digital copies of the original photos. These copies were then edited to show an interesting personal project. The original images are still stored safely somewhere and have not been harmed in any way. As a purist, you are free to track them down and peruse them. However, you should cease to use the Internets immediately, since viewing a digital copy of the photo is also blasphemy.
AdamZ   01.19.12
I completely disagree with Lizzy. Sometimes art is about stretching techniques and the limits of what is possible. These are technically-speaking incredible. But also they bring up for me some really interesitng questions about the nature of photography, this question of B+W versus colour, the idea of the real, the importance of an image, of historical attachments.

Good quality. That makes me think.
That already puts this way above almost anything else I've seen in the "art" world recently.
Lolita   01.19.12
history didn't happen in black and white,
who is to say that making color versions of historical photos
doesn't take away the fetish aspect of B&W photography,
instead returning the images to their rightful place in the canon
of the historical and the real?
the thinker.   01.19.12
Great work! What about History colors photographs in old black and white, what will we see? History always repeats itself...
virginie   01.19.12
coollll colllloooorrr
titosup   01.19.12
Christ you guys that are hating on these pictures a complete and utter wankers. Take your fingers out of your arse and appreciate them for what they are
Gavinator   01.20.12
p.s. Awesome stuff
Gavinator   01.20.12
this is soo cool!
siji   01.20.12
It\'s not a matter of history, it is a matter of perception: most of the time, color dilutes the information of an image.
Many contemporary photographers have included this: they work in B&W.
iBouc   01.20.12
Adding color to these images brings them back to our attention and encourages their reappraisal. They are not sacred they are just images...
H   01.20.12
genious!
Manuel   01.20.12
Abraham seems tired !
antuand   01.21.12
The Abraham Lincoln photo is stunning. Really brings it back to life!

Jay
Cooper Sewing
Jay Cooper   01.21.12
I really love it, nice work. Why people complain so about... this is a proposition and a personal project, in fact a great one!
mariamontiel   01.21.12
Great Work!

@ibouc

"Most of the time color, dilutes the information of and image" How so? Black and white is surely a diluted version on color as it contains less infomation, I can see what your getting at i.e certain infomation will become clearer without the distraction of color, but your statment sounds abit silly.
keith   01.22.12
Whatever your feelings about the morals of the project (I have no problem with it, it's not like the origanal prints have been destroyed) there's no doubting the skill and patience that have gone into it. Fascinating.
Play Learning Life   01.23.12
The color brings a new life to these photos. This is like the work of the Frenchman, Albert Kahn ,who created an archive of vanishing cultures in the beginning of the 20th century withe the use of Autochrome. "The Wonderful World of Albert Kahn". Color Photographs of a lost age.
andrea   01.23.12
Great!
aekkasit   01.25.12

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