Arty farty

A quartet of black and white images which have caught my eye over the last couple of days:

There's something about black and white which enables even a fairly straightforward image to transcend the prosaic.

Is it because we associate black and white with artiness, or is black and white associated with artiness because it is, in fact, intrinsically arty?

I think it's all about the mystery of the shadows -- as in this last image.

You usually have to do a bit of work for the pay-off, and almost everything in life feels more worthwhile when you've had to work a little for it.