Robert Longo Untitled (American Swamp), 2021
Charcoal on mounted paper
152.4 x 152.4 cm (60 x 60 in)
In Untitled (American Swamp) (2021), Robert Longo uses his characteristic chiaroscuro technique to draw a disquieting picture of a forest growing in marshland. As is often the case in Longo’s hyperrealist charcoal depictions of forests and trees, nature serves as the site for a wider reflection on the human condition and societal issues. Longo’s forensic examination of the source image allows him to internalise it on a molecular level which, ‘combined with the medium’s inherent intimacy, represents a sincere attempt to slow down the image, to provoke the viewer to consume its full power.’
