Colored black and white

"When I close my eyes," BarBara Hanlo writes in Colored black and white, "there are colors before images." When the viewer opens the booklet, he first sees images and only then colors. Hanlo colors black and white images by processing them with a chemical mixture, as photographers from the early days of the medium used to do.

Coloring black and white photos is a simple, effective method of manipulating the image. But in describing the method - editing photos with color - you don't do justice to your work.

The English booklet is anything but straightforward. It is a photo booklet, literary booklet, artist's booklet and a handbook for coloring techniques.

In fact, it is a reflection of and research that is filled with personal notes and thoughts that BarBara Hanlo started at the Jan van Eijk Akademie in Maastricht. She made recipes for the coloring, obsessed with the phenomenon of color.

Those recipes have been printed, as have the abstract black-and-white photographic images, which change as a result of the chemical additives. Hanlo has personally pasted the original photos into all five hundred published booklets. She decided to do this because reproductions in books are always an "interpretation of the original". She wanted to show the specific colors she created through chemical processes intact.

The result is a special, unmentionable but intriguing booklet

FOCUS April 1997
 

 
 

Colorize black and white photos
The (English) booklet Colored Black and White by BarBara hanlo is both an artist's book and an artist's manual.
BarBara Hanlo is a photographer and takes black and white photos that she colors through chemical processes. A few years ago, she told KM about the research and experiments she did with regard to the chemical coloring of black and white photos. Old recipes for recoloring photos were no longer useful for the changes in the composition of the photographic material. Through her own research and experiments, Hanlo discovered new recipes that a professional photographer can work well with. "In my work there is always an interaction between the technical aspects and the content, she said in 1991. Today it appears from her book Colored black and white that she has continued this line. In addition to a "working guide" (manual), which contains many recipes for coloring, the book also contains stories, personally tinted observations and texts with black and white images. It includes printed black and white images and (pasted) uncoloured black and white photos. These photos were made especially for the book and colored according to a recipe described in the book. The presence of originals in the manual is a great advantage. An original as a reference is always superior to a reproduction.
The recipes are given per color for the colors sepia / orange brown, blue, yellow, red brown and green. The recipe is based on stock solutions for which the recipes are given elsewhere in the book. The directions are brief but not unclear. However, a professional knowledge of photo techniques is assumed. The index describes all common chemicals under their name, synonyms, what they look like and - most importantly - safety precautions.
All in all, it is an interesting book for professionals. It is very appreciative that BarBara Hanlo wanted to present the results of her years of research to her colleagues in this way. As a side note, a more than superficial knowledge of English is required to use the book. Despite the small size of 14.5x11 centimeters - too bad because the photos are very beautiful - it is highly recommended.

KM winter 1996 Anton Staartjes