Robert Longo | Men in the Cities

My guest this week is Tim Bogatz from The Art of Education and host of Art Ed Radio. He was kind enough to join me to talk about Robert Longo.

American artist Robert Longo rose to prominence as a defining figure of the late 20th-century art scene, widely recognized for his monumental scale, multidisciplinary projects, and cinematic aesthetic. His breakthrough series, Men in the Cities, created in the late 1970s and early 1980s, features sharply dressed subjects captured in extreme, contorted poses rendered in stark black and white. Working with friends and fellow artists, including Cindy Sherman, as models, Longo photographed figures in dynamic, off-balance movements on a New York rooftop before translating the imagery into towering graphite and charcoal drawings. The resulting compositions present an ambiguous tension between ecstatic dance and sudden physical impact, blending corporate aesthetics with an edgy, post-punk subversion.

Beyond figurative studies, Longo's practice is defined by a mastery of medium, monumental scale, and subtractive drawing techniques. Approaching charcoal much like a sculptor, he applies dense layers of dark pigment and carves light and form back out of the surface using an array of erasers. This process yields dramatic, high-contrast works measuring eight feet or more, spanning subjects from massive ocean waves and wildlife to cathedral interiors and historical iconography. Combined with his work in music video and feature film direction, Longo’s photorealistic drawings interrogate power, modern culture, and the emotional impact of contemporary imagery.

See more of Longo's work at his website: https://www.robertlongo.com/series/meninthecity/

Find Tim Bogatz online:

The Art of Education

The Art of Ed Community

Art Ed Radio

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