Robert Longo Untitled (Kurosawa Wave), 2021

Robert Longo explores archetypal images that form part of the collective unconscious, such as the crashing waves of his Monsters series. In Untitled (Kurosawa Wave) (2021), he conveys the elemental power of the ocean and its untameable nature. Although humanity may pollute its waters and deplete its abundance, there are hidden depths of the ocean that remain untouched and unknowable. 

The title references the Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, who originally trained as a painter and whose work Longo admires for its ‘perfection in cinematic framing’. Captured at a climactic moment, Longo’s wave has a cinematic effect that is heightened by his transformation of the intimate practice of drawing into the monumental scale of painting, as well as the meticulous detail he achieves in charcoal.