Lithograph on Arches Cover, 1994. 1016x597 mm; 40x23 1/2 inches, full margins. Signed, dated and numbered 44/170 in pencil, lower margin. Published by Greenpeace, New York. A very good impression of this large lithograph.
Longo (born 1953) is a native of Brooklyn and grew up in suburban Long Island. He was enrolled at the University of North Texas for a short time, but left before completing his degree. Longo next studied on a grant at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence, Italy before receiving his BFA from Buffalo State College in 1975. Shortly after, he moved to New York and became immersed in the downtown art scene. Longo remained largely under the radar until his seminal Men in the Cities series beginning in the early 1980s, featuring large charcoal drawings of contorted men and women clad in business suits and lithographs based on these drawings, such as the current work.
Longo has created in a diverse array of media over the course of his venerable career. While his method was multidisciplinary throughout the 80s, often combining elements of drawing, sculpture, cinema and performance art, Longo's oeuvre consists mainly of monumental charcoal drawings done in a hyperrealist style. This medium allows him to create the strong lines and rich chiaroscuro that help bring his drawings to life. His subject matter is varied, ranging from nature to seemingly banal objects to political imagery.
