Robert Longo Study of Vertical Iceberg XL, 2021

Robert Longo (b. 1953, New York) is known for his large-scale, hyper-realistic charcoal drawings that reflect on the construction of symbols of power and authority. In Study of Vertical Iceberg XL, Robert Longo (b. 1953, New York) uses his characteristic chiaroscuro technique to draw a disquieting picture of an iceberg emerging from the ocean against an overcast sky. As is often the case in Longo’s hyperrealist charcoal depictions, nature serves as the site for a wider reflection on the human condition and societal issues. A recurring motif in his work, the iceberg combines ‘fragility and danger’, writes art historian Olivia Murphy, embodying the gradual destruction perpetuated by humans over time. Longo’s forensic examination of the source image allows him to internalise it on a molecular level which, ‘combined with the medium’s inherent intimacy, represents,’ as he describes it, ‘a sincere attempt to slow down the image, to provoke the viewer to consume its full power.’