Back to Black: An interview with Robert Longo

Rajesh Punj

Burdened by a war of words between two pivotal post-war art historians (Clement Greenberg and Harold Rosenberg), Abstract Expressionism is for American artist Robert Longo the cream that covers the cake. Appetizing over the riches of art history to arrive at artworks that are as much impressive, as they are inventive homages to the saints and spirits of centuries of avant-garde aesthetics; Rembrandt (Harmenszoon van Rijn), (Casper David) Friedrich, (Théodore) Ǵericault, (Pablo) Picasso and (Jackson) Pollock among them. More antagonistic of everything that is real, Longo better engages with art, film and literature, as though the invented proves far more convincing; the light in the room.