My “Men in the Cities” works are an important part of my history. They have become iconic symbols from a time of urban uniforms and Film Noir attire. Their movements are a cross between Punk Rock dancing and the way characters die in movies.
Robert Longo
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Punk rock dance meets film noir violence, in Robert Longo's snapshot of 80s New York.
Untitled (Eric) revisits an iconic series that has spawned countless pop culture copycats. In the late 70s and early 80s, "Men in the Cities" took the art world by storm. The images of contorted bodies, suspended between pain and pleasure, became emblematic of the Pictures Generation and marked a new era in image-making.
The transposition of medium is central to the artist's practice. Robert constructs his drawings with layer upon layer of black graphite, working his way from light to dark to give new meaning to his original photographs. Similarly, the intricate process behind the print edition involves layers of grayscale separation. This high level of fidelity with the image, unique to silkscreen, results in a floating effect and hyperreal grain texture.
Robert Longo2 collaborationsRobert Longo’s drawings bring us closer to the images that haunt our collective unconscious. Ironically, his ‘Men in the Cities’ (1979-1983) series has achieved exactly that. The images of contorted bodies in "urban uniforms and Film Noir attire" have ricocheted through culture for decades, finding unsettling parallels in reality. At the core of Robert’s practice is an inquiry into how images become symbols – taking on political, cultural, and metaphysical significance in the social imaginary. Each series interrogates a specific theme or visual motif, such as waves crashing (Monsters, 2000-2021), places of worship (God Machines, 2009-2011), and the American flag (Protocol Verso, 2011-2018).
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