1993
The drawings by artist Robert Longo are a sensory experience: They are monumental, detailed and hard-hitting in their subject matter, which often includes critiques of power, social unrest and consumer capitalism.
Longo has spent his career exploring mediums as varied as the Photorealistic charcoal drawings for which he is best known and film direction. In all of his work, however, he draws inspiration from his deep background in sculpture. “I always think that drawing is a sculptural process. I always feel like I’m carving the image out rather than painting the image. I’m carving it out with erasers and tools like that,” he once said.
The Long Island, New York, native attended high school with a man who was shot at Kent State University while protesting the U.S. invasion of Cambodia during the Vietnam War in 1970, and the famous image of this man lying dead on the ground influenced Longo so deeply that he began to consider all art political. Longo attended Buffalo State College, where he met and became friends with artist Cindy Sherman, and later the two moved to New York City together.
Longo’s revered work includes his charcoal and graphite “Men in the Cities” drawings. The Photorealist series, which debuted at Metro Pictures gallery in Manhattan in 1981, depicted people in formal business clothing. Posing in suspended animation in unusual contortions, the figures take on a choreographic quality and represent the career-minded “yuppies” of the era.
“Men in the Cities” was inspired by punk rock music and decades later has been cited as a visual reference for the opening sequence of the popular television drama Mad Men. The work was among the most recognizable and iconic of the Pictures Generation — the movement by artists who came of age in the 1970s and were disillusioned by the social and political conditions of the time. In 2014, Longo created 12 charcoal drawings for a series titled “Gang of Cosmos,” which were black-and-white depictions of famous Abstract Expressionist works by artists like Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and Lee Krasner.
Through his provocative, detailed and highly precise prints, drawings, photography and sculpture, Longo continues to challenge traditional sources of power and authority.
Find original Robert Longo art on 1stDibs.
“Untitled (Head of a Young Man), 1936” Mexican Charcoal Drawing Study Signed
By Alfredo Zalce
Located in Yardley, PA
This striking early drawing by Zalce captures a young man at a moment of heightened emotion, his mouth open and brow furrowed in what reads as shock and defiance. Executed in 1936, a...
Paper, Charcoal
“Reclining Nude, c. 1930” American Modernist Female Drawing Lady African Mask
By Louise Nevelson
Located in Yardley, PA
“Reclining Nude, c. 1930” by Louise Nevelson (1899-1988) This wonderful original ink drawing highlights Nevelson’s interest in the early 20th century avant-garde. Inspired by Picass...
Paper, Pencil, Graphite
“Standing Nude, c. 1930” American Modernist Early Female Nude Drawing Signed
By Louise Nevelson
Located in Yardley, PA
“Standing Nude, c. 1930” by Louise Nevelson (1899-1988) This wonderful early pencil drawing by Nevelson represents a nude figure, rendered with simple and confident lines that empha...
Paper, Pencil, Graphite
“Dream and Refuge, 2020” by Michael Armitage Signed Lithograph, Edition of 250
Located in Yardley, PA
“Dream and Refuge, 2020” by Michael Armitage (Kenyan, b. 1984) Rendered in richly layered hues - dominated by a saturated red ground that pulses with intensity - this work reveals a...
Paper, Lithograph
“Untitled (Women Walking), c. 1945” Double-Sided NYC Street Manhattan Cityscape
By Reginald Marsh
Located in Yardley, PA
A fantastic example of Marsh’s renowned depictions of ladies walking in downtown Manhattan. This richly worked ink and wash composition captures a sidewalk populated by stylish women...
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
“Untitled” by N.S. Harsha (b. 1969) Contemporary Indian Ex-Christie's Signed
Located in Yardley, PA
“Untitled” by N.S. Harsha (Indian, b. 1969) This delicate watercolor by N.S. Harsha, one of the leading contemporary artists from India, is a masterclass in visual subtlety and conc...
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
Jim Dine Watercolor Lithograph, Signed, 1973. Ten Winter Tools, C-Clamp
By Jim Dine
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Jim Dine Medium: Lithograph hand-colored with watercolor on Auvergne Narcisse Title: C-Clamp Portfolio: 1973 Ten Winter Tools (Hand-Colored) Year: 1973 Edition: 6/10 Image Si...
Lithograph, Watercolor
Robert Longo, Black Palms - Lithograph from 1989, Signed Print
By Robert Longo
Located in Hamburg, DE
Robert Longo (American, born 1953) Black Palms, 1989 Medium: Lithograph on rag paper Dimensions: 169 x 127 cm (66½ x 50 in) Edition of 35: Hand-signed and numbered Condition: Excellent
Lithograph
Gerhard Uhlig (1926-2015) Drawing with graphite pencil, unique “untitled” 1990
Located in Münster, DE
Gerhard Uhlig (1926-2015) Drawing with graphite pencil, unique “untitled”, signed and dated by hand, created 1990, framed behind glass Dimensions: Sheet size 15 x 21 cm Frame siz...
Paper
Untitled (Abstract Composition), Contemporary Graphite and Charcoal Drawing
By Robert O'Meara
Located in Astoria, NY
Robert O'Meara (American, XX-XXI) Abstract Composition, Graphite and Charcoal on paper, signed in pencil lower left, black wood frame. Image: 19.75" H x 15" W; frame: 29" H x 22.75"...
Charcoal, Graphite
"Faith, " Charcoal on Paper, 2023
By Bruno Surdo
Located in Chicago, IL
Chicago-based fine art painter Bruno A. Surdo is classically trained in drawing and oil painting in the tradition of Renaissance masters. With strong command of the human form, Surdo creates dynamic compositions of people and places that communicate a rich commentary on the world around him. Depicting trees from personal encounters, Surdo’s latest body of work entitled “Tree Spirits” takes us on a foray into the forest, where leaves, branches and burls express something deeply personal. Applying his mastery of figurative realism to the natural world, he experiments with form and texture to uncover the intangible spirits of trees. Entitled “Faith,” this small-scale charcoal drawing depicts a tree trunk carved with two deep cuts in the shape of a cross. The carving has healed over, assimilated into the bark as just another interesting detail. Up close, the work is loosely drawn with a heavy hand, but from afar, the natural scene still achieves a sense of realism. The tree trunk is conveyed through chaotic scribbling and aggressive strokes of light and dark charcoal, resulting in a pattern that simulates the rough texture of bark. Light falls softly on the tree, illuminating its form against the dark, atmospheric surroundings. The striking imagery of this work conveys the strong emotional response elicited by Surdo’s personal encounter with this tree. Restricting the composition to only the scarred portion of the tree trunk, Surdo focuses on symbolism of the cross carved into the tree’s side. The carving was inflicted upon the tree by an individual, whether as an act of graffiti or the object of adoration. Despite this wound, the tree persists and grows, adapting and changing until the mark is but another interesting detail. The tree’s spirit endures and speaks to the strength it takes to heal oneself, whether physically or mentally. Charcoal on paper...
Paper, Charcoal
Mexican Japanese woman artist 1998 signed original engraving art proof 21x25in
By Namiko Prado Arai
Located in Miami, FL
Namiko Prado Arai (Mexico, 1963) 'Untitled 7 (Bruñidor)', 1998 engraving on paper Guarro Biblos 250g. 21.1 x 24.5 in. (53.5 x 62 cm.) ID: PRA-309 Hand-signed by author Unframed
Ink, Etching
