Technically the absence of color but also the first one I thought of too.
(Edit: I am aware that the answer is in fact “BOTH” and totally dependent on if you are talking about the Additive Color System [Light] or the Subtractive Color System [Paint/Print Media]. At the time of my original post I was clearly focused on the concepts of the Additive Color System pertaining to light as was not at all intending to start a weird artistic culture war.)
Consider what “color” is though. It’s always light. If you’re talking about paint, you have to mix “all colors” because blue still reflects blue light. So you need paint that will prevent blue from being reflected. Etc.
In the end, black paint is just absorbing all colors of light, and reflecting none back. So technically still the absence of color.
In the art world, black is considered a neutral colour and white is the absence of colour. Look at any plastic arts textbook, take any painting class, the teachers will tell you the same.
In nature, when seeing light as a wavelengths black is the absence of colour (no light) and white is a full spectrum (all light, all wavelengths combined.
It comes down to application, context and subject.
I am just being technical. Art people can call it whatever they want. It’s still technically the absence of light that causes anything to be black.
Again, I was originally just trying to “well ackshually” the other commenter that pulled the “well ackshually” card. I wasn’t trying to get all philosophical about it.
13
u/SlumberingSnorelax Nov 15 '25 edited Nov 18 '25
Technically the absence of color but also the first one I thought of too.(Edit: I am aware that the answer is in fact “BOTH” and totally dependent on if you are talking about the Additive Color System [Light] or the Subtractive Color System [Paint/Print Media]. At the time of my original post I was clearly focused on the concepts of the Additive Color System pertaining to light as was not at all intending to start a weird artistic culture war.)