Cover Image Flockhart K, Untitled Study (2023)
Notes from the interview with artist Robert Longo. About how he and his team work at a large scape with charcoal Robert Longo in conversation with Kelly Chorpening (2021) Drawing Room .
Longo evolves the material beyond its given form. He manipulates it to create a multitude of effects.
In my studies I wasn’t comfortable using the charcoal as a fresh stick. It became more natural after it had worn away and become misshapen. I began to seek out pieces that were broken or so worn that I had to use my finger nails to grip the stem, rather than hold it between my fingers. Interesting things started to happen that would move the drawing on. I liked the unpredictable nature of their weathered forms.
Longo speaks about carving out the drawings with the erasure. And the large scale of his drawings allows them to emit many details and textures. You can see the marks left by the broken shards, and the drag lines of a brush. There is something very primal about these techniques.
Charcoal is super interesting when you use all its natural reactions to facilitate the expression of your subject. The range of tones from blackest black, to the bright white of the paper has a very dramatic effect on the work.
I like the drawing in question (See Fig. 1) It has a painterly style, but I think the rawness of the charcoal is much purer than Manet’s original painting. A painting like that can potentially be very laborious, and although Im sure each part of Longo’s drawing is incredibly considered and a result of vast experience, Longo’s charcoal drawing has liberated the subject from the painting.
Fig.1 Longo R, Untitled (X-Ray of A Bar at the Folies-Bergere, 1882, After Manet (2017)
List of Images
Cover Image Flockhart, K. (2023) Untitled Study. [Charcoal on paper] In possession of: The author: Volleges.
Fig.1 Longo, R. (2017) Untitled (X-Ray of A Bar at the Folies-Bergere, 1882, After Manet. [Charcoal on paper] At: https://ropac.net/artists/56-robert-longo/works/9422/ (Accessed 27/11/2023).
Bibliography
Robert Longo in conversation with Kelly Chorpening (2021) [Video] At: https://drawingroom.org.uk/read-listen-watch/robert-longo-in-conversation-with-kelly-chorpening/ (Accessed 27/11/2023).