Robert Longo (1953), Arena Brains (1984)
Robert Longo (b. 1953) Arena Brains, 1984 Mixed media and photograph collage on paper 53 x 23 inches (134.6 x 58.4 cm) (sight) Signed, titled, dated, and inscribed along lower edge: For Scott, many thanks / Arena Brains (1) / Robert Longo 11/84 PROVENANCE: The artist; Collection of Scott D.F. Spiegel, Los Angeles, California, acquired from the above; Estate of the above, 1990; By descent to the present owners. NOTE: We thank the Robert Longo Studio for assistance in cataloging this work. This arresting image falls at a unique point in Robert Longo's body of work. Dated 1984, Arena Brains overlaps two of Longo's major series, "Men in the Cities" and "Combines," drawing clear influence from both. In "Combines," first exhibited in 1983, Longo incorporated mixed media more than ever before to engage with the montage theories espoused by Soviet filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein. Arena Brains, though not directly associated with the Combines, exemplifies Longo's quest to unite conflicting images in an ultimately complementary way. "Men in the Cities," Longo's most famous series, also employed mixed media, particularly charcoal, photography, and lithography for their ability to illustrate movement. From 1977 to 1983, it presented men and women in business suits twisted and contorted in dramatic poses. The artist drew inspiration from the last scene of the 1970 film The American Soldier, where we see two gangsters gunned down unexpectedly, their bodies seemingly dancing as they fall to the ground. This was not the first instance of Longo finding inspiration in violence. The death of his former classmate Jeffrey Miller, gunned down by the Ohio National Guard in the notorious 1970 incident at Kent State University, sparked Robert's passion for political activism and interest in media imagery. Longo came to be associated with "The Pictures Generation," a group of young artists who actively engaged in the politics of image-making, pulling from a wide range of contemporary sources: advertisements, newspapers, film, and television. Their work was often critical of the indoctrinating effects of mass media, most notably the anaesthetizing power of overexposure, the banality of violence and vice. With this in mind, it's no wonder that later artists seeking to recreate the peculiar, sometimes violent sense of 1980s New York would call on Longo's art. Two large charcoal works from "Men in the Cities" appear in the 2000 film American Psycho, decorating the apartment of villain-protagonist Patrick Bateman. The film, set in 1987, touches on key themes shared with Longo's contemporary experience of the period: violence, alienation, greed, and consumption. In a similar vein, Arena Brains appears on the cover of the first edition of A Clockwork Orange published by Ingram in 1986. Originally released in 1962, Anthony Burgess's controversial novel presented one of the uglier circles of youth subculture and was adapted for the screen by Stanley Kubrick in 1971. Covers from the 1960s and 70s feature an illustrated portrait of an angry young man, but the imagery of Arena Brains is a considerably stronger reflection of the story. What better way to articulate the chaos of the teenage mind, full of anger, frustration, and internal conflict than a head on fire, screaming with no voice. The choice is especially apt considering the literal pain endured by the narrator as he undergoes aversion therapy to quell his lust for violence, effectively altering both his personality and identity against his will. A war within the mind is not exclusive to the young, nor is it unique to any one time period, and these enduring themes that society faces time and time again are what give Robert Longo's work such lasting relevance and appeal. HID09710052018 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Condition Report: Presents well. Scattered dots of foxing in lower half of work. Sheet is mounted with window mat and framed under acrylic. Not examined out of frame due to size. Framed Dimensions 61 X 31 Inches
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Robert Longo (b. 1953) Arena Brains, 1984 Mixed media and photograph collage on paper 53 x 23 inches (134.6 x 58.4 cm) (sight) Signed, titled, dated, and inscribed along lower edge: For Scott, many thanks / Arena Brains (1) / Robert Longo 11/84 PROVENANCE: The artist; Collection of Scott D.F. Spiegel, Los Angeles, California, acquired from the above; Estate of the above, 1990; By descent to the present owners. NOTE: We thank the Robert Longo Studio for assistance in cataloging this work. This arresting image falls at a unique point in Robert Longo's body of work. Dated 1984, Arena Brains overlaps two of Longo's major series, "Men in the Cities" and "Combines," drawing clear influence from both. In "Combines," first exhibited in 1983, Longo incorporated mixed media more than ever before to engage with the montage theories espoused by Soviet filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein. Arena Brains, though not directly associated with the Combines, exemplifies Longo's quest to unite conflicting images in an ultimately complementary way. "Men in the Cities," Longo's most famous series, also employed mixed media, particularly charcoal, photography, and lithography for their ability to illustrate movement. From 1977 to 1983, it presented men and women in business suits twisted and contorted in dramatic poses. The artist drew inspiration from the last scene of the 1970 film The American Soldier, where we see two gangsters gunned down unexpectedly, their bodies seemingly dancing as they fall to the ground. This was not the first instance of Longo finding inspiration in violence. The death of his former classmate Jeffrey Miller, gunned down by the Ohio National Guard in the notorious 1970 incident at Kent State University, sparked Robert's passion for political activism and interest in media imagery. Longo came to be associated with "The Pictures Generation," a group of young artists who actively engaged in the politics of image-making, pulling from a wide range of contemporary sources: advertisements, newspapers, film, and television. Their work was often critical of the indoctrinating effects of mass media, most notably the anaesthetizing power of overexposure, the banality of violence and vice. With this in mind, it's no wonder that later artists seeking to recreate the peculiar, sometimes violent sense of 1980s New York would call on Longo's art. Two large charcoal works from "Men in the Cities" appear in the 2000 film American Psycho, decorating the apartment of villain-protagonist Patrick Bateman. The film, set in 1987, touches on key themes shared with Longo's contemporary experience of the period: violence, alienation, greed, and consumption. In a similar vein, Arena Brains appears on the cover of the first edition of A Clockwork Orange published by Ingram in 1986. Originally released in 1962, Anthony Burgess's controversial novel presented one of the uglier circles of youth subculture and was adapted for the screen by Stanley Kubrick in 1971. Covers from the 1960s and 70s feature an illustrated portrait of an angry young man, but the imagery of Arena Brains is a considerably stronger reflection of the story. What better way to articulate the chaos of the teenage mind, full of anger, frustration, and internal conflict than a head on fire, screaming with no voice. The choice is especially apt considering the literal pain endured by the narrator as he undergoes aversion therapy to quell his lust for violence, effectively altering both his personality and identity against his will. A war within the mind is not exclusive to the young, nor is it unique to any one time period, and these enduring themes that society faces time and time again are what give Robert Longo's work such lasting relevance and appeal. HID09710052018 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Condition Report: Presents well. Scattered dots of foxing in lower half of work. Sheet is mounted with window mat and framed under acrylic. Not examined out of frame due to size. Framed Dimensions 61 X 31 Inches
