In Study of Greenland Iceberg (2020), Robert Longo depicts a towering wall of ice in photorealistic detail. The work is ‘rendered in a very light, almost translucent powder,’ writes Olivia Murphy, ‘which differs from Longo’s usual process of building up sumptuous layers from different colours and weights of black and leaving the white of the paper as highlights, carving away at the charcoal to create contours and shadow. In contrast, this drawing achieves a new kind of illusion by using the lightest touch of charcoal dust to create something that is massive, weighty and colourless; rendering ice out of the remnants of fire.’

The artist’s passionate interest in the long-term impact of mankind on nature and contemporary environmental issues has resulted in several series that address such topics, including endangered animals. Prior to beginning his series of iceberg drawings, Longo travelled to Iceberg Alley in Newfoundland, Canada, where he witnessed entire sections shearing off into the ocean. Despite their imposing appearance and seeming imperviousness to their surroundings, the icebergs are in grave danger due to global warming. Once a threat to shipping, as in the Titanic disaster of 1912, icebergs are now under threat due to human activities in which the viewer is implicated. In this context, the work both memorialises these wonders of nature and becomes an incitement to action against climate change.