Editing Black (section)

====20th and 21st centuries====
In the 20th century, black was utilised by Italian and German [[fascism]].  (See the section [[#Political movements|political movements]]). In art, the colour regained some of the territory that it had lost during the 19th century. The Russian painter [[Kasimir Malevich]], a member of the [[Suprematist]] movement, created the ''[[Black Square (painting)|Black Square]]'' in 1915, is widely considered the first purely abstract painting.{{sfn|St. Clair|2016|p=263}} He wrote, "The painted work is no longer simply the imitation of reality, but is this very reality&nbsp;... It is not a demonstration of ability, but the materialization of an idea."<ref>Cited in Stefano Zuffi, ''Color in Art'', p. 306.</ref>

Black was appreciated by [[Henri Matisse]]. "When I didn't know what color to put down, I put down black," he said in 1945. "Black is a force: I used black as ballast to simplify the construction&nbsp;... Since the impressionists it seems to have made continuous progress, taking a more and more important part in color orchestration, comparable to that of the double bass as a solo instrument."<ref>Jack Flam, ''Matisse on Art'', p. 166.</ref>

In the 1950s, black came to be a symbol of individuality and intellectual and social rebellion, the color of those who did not accept established norms and values. In Paris, it was worn by Left-Bank intellectuals and performers such as [[Juliette Gréco]], and by some members of the [[Beat Movement]] in New York and San Francisco.<ref name="Eva Heller pg 120">Eva Heller, ''Psychologie de la Couleur – effets et symboliques'', p. 120.</ref> Black leather jackets were worn by motorcycle gangs such as the [[Hells Angels]] and street gangs on the fringes of society in the United States. Black as a color of rebellion was celebrated in such films as ''[[The Wild One]]'', with [[Marlon Brando]]. By the end of the 20th century, black was the emblematic color of [[punk fashion]] and the [[goth subculture]]. Goth fashion, which emerged in England in the 1980s, was inspired by [[Victorian era]] mourning dress.

In men's fashion, black gradually ceded its dominance to navy blue, particularly in business suits. Black evening dress and formal dress in general were worn less and less. In 1960, [[John F. Kennedy]] was the last American President to be inaugurated wearing formal dress; [[Lyndon Johnson]] and his successors were inaugurated wearing business suits.

Women's fashion was revolutionized and simplified in 1926 by the French designer [[Coco Chanel]], who published a drawing of a simple black dress in ''Vogue'' magazine. She famously said, "A woman needs just three things; a black dress, a black sweater, and, on her arm, a man she loves."<ref name="Eva Heller pg 120"/> French designer [[Jean Patou]] also followed suit by creating a black collection in 1929.<ref>The Palm Beach Post, 24 December 1929 – pictures and caption  [https://www.newspapers.com/image/?spot=8751014&fcfToken=524f6e6c6364666b597579496447716846416d6b37783633634453626d65756671567636512b594b494c4d6f3166366b7052544c56333979374d344250754946 'That's the black art of being Chic'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190210044402/https://www.newspapers.com/image/?spot=8751014&fcfToken=524f6e6c6364666b597579496447716846416d6b37783633634453626d65756671567636512b594b494c4d6f3166366b7052544c56333979374d344250754946 |date=10 February 2019 }}</ref> Other designers contributed to the trend of the [[little black dress]]. The Italian designer [[Gianni Versace]] said, "Black is the quintessence of simplicity and elegance," and French designer [[Yves Saint Laurent (designer)|Yves Saint Laurent]] said, "black is the liaison which connects art and fashion.<ref name="Eva Heller pg 120"/> One of the most famous black dresses of the century was designed by [[Hubert de Givenchy]] and was worn by [[Audrey Hepburn]] in the 1961 film ''[[Breakfast at Tiffany's (film)|Breakfast at Tiffany's]]''.

The American [[civil rights movement]] in the 1950s was a struggle for the political equality of [[African Americans]]. It developed into the [[Black Power movement]] in the early 1960s until the late 1980s, and the [[Black Lives Matter]] movement in the 2010s and 2020s. It also popularized the slogan "[[Black is Beautiful]]".

<gallery widths="160" heights="180" class="center">
File:Kazimir Malevich, 1915, Black Suprematic Square, oil on linen canvas, 79.5 x 79.5 cm, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.jpg|''[[Black Square]]'', [[Kazimir Malevich]], 1915
File:Constantin Pascali - Regina Maria.jpg|Queen [[Marie of Romania]], Constantin Pascali, early 1920s
File:Lady Amaranth.jpg|The 21st-century [[goth fashion]] model Lady Amaranth, in a style inspired by British [[Victorian fashion|Victorian mourning costumes]]
</gallery>