Art in Context - Richard Long and landscape

Richard Long has a unique way of working with landscape. Long is an English sculptor known for his British land art. won the turner prize award in 1989 for White Water Line.

Long has been making work since the mid-1960s, his work has been based on his relationship with the landscape and how humans make marks on the land by walking and his use of natural materials. White Water Line was created by pouring liquid pigment in one continuous movement.

'A walk marks time with an accumulation of footsteps. It defines the form of the land. Walking the roads and paths is to trace a portrait of the country. I have become interested in using a walk to express original ideas about the land, art and walking itself.’
Richard Long

Line made by walking

Line made by walking is one of his most famous pieces of work. This line was made on one of Long’s journeys to St Martin’s in a field in Wiltshire where he walked this line over and over until the grass was flat and caught the sunlight and became visible as a line. I think that his work draws attention to the art that surrounds us everyday. It makes me think about all the lines people make in nature and all the lines that have ever been made.

In class we looked at one of his works called 'Ten Miles on Exmoor'

Richard Long
A Ten Mile Walk England 1968
Map and graphite

In November 1968 Richard Long made a work on Exmoor by walking for ten miles in a straight line on a compass bearing of 290 degrees. He took a pencil and a ruler and drew a straight line across a map. This work is interesting to me because it is almost like a 10 mile invisible sculptor. In the documentary we watched in class the man presenting it walked this 10 mile walk himself. He has to walk across uneven ground, climb over stone walls as well as walk through ponds. At the end he said it felt quite underwhelming because it just ends.

Landscape art, or art that works in or with nature isn't something i have looked into a lot. Its not that is doesn't interest me its just not something i have ever considered.

I would like to look into other artists that work with nature and see what i can discover.

Sources:

https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/turner-prize-retrospective-1984-2006/turner-prize-retrospective-2

http://www.richardlong.org/

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/long-a-line-made-by-walking-p07149

https://www.tate.org.uk/research/publications/tate-papers/17/ten-miles-on-exmoor

https://www.theartstory.org/artist-long-richard.htm

Comments

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