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Lot Essay
Painted using mud taken from the River Avon, Untitled exemplifies Richard Long's unique approach to painting. Born in Bristol, where he is still based today, Long recalls playing along the banks of the River Avon as a child, and the 'huge tide and the mud banks' (cited in B. Tufnell (ed.), exhibition catalogue, Richard Long: Selected Statements & Interviews, Haunch of Venison, London, 2007, p. 99) had a deep and long lasting impact upon him.
Long's technique also sets him apart: he predominantly uses his hands to apply this untraditional medium. When making the present work, he has painted the entire canvas black, and when dry he would have divided it evenly into thirds using a red pencil. He would then add tape to the extreme edges, which he would remove when the painting is complete. Only then would he begin the painting process: he would mix the mud with water and apply it using his fingertips, creating an energetic and dynamic surface using the flick of his wrist, applied with rapid movements. Due to the liquidity of the medium, he can alter and adapt it as he works. However, like the action paintings of Jackson Pollock, chance and gravity play an important role in the final appearance of the work.
In using mud as the medium for his work, Long has developed the concept of the landscape tradition in art: he works with nature, but is not a painter of landscape. He creates a striking image using the most elemental of means; his own body and mud gathered from the Avon, and he cites the famous cave paintings at Lascaux in France as an important influence on his work. Long believes that '... art has not changed. My art is very close to those old cave paintings. It's still about hand marks with mud on rock'.
Long's technique also sets him apart: he predominantly uses his hands to apply this untraditional medium. When making the present work, he has painted the entire canvas black, and when dry he would have divided it evenly into thirds using a red pencil. He would then add tape to the extreme edges, which he would remove when the painting is complete. Only then would he begin the painting process: he would mix the mud with water and apply it using his fingertips, creating an energetic and dynamic surface using the flick of his wrist, applied with rapid movements. Due to the liquidity of the medium, he can alter and adapt it as he works. However, like the action paintings of Jackson Pollock, chance and gravity play an important role in the final appearance of the work.
In using mud as the medium for his work, Long has developed the concept of the landscape tradition in art: he works with nature, but is not a painter of landscape. He creates a striking image using the most elemental of means; his own body and mud gathered from the Avon, and he cites the famous cave paintings at Lascaux in France as an important influence on his work. Long believes that '... art has not changed. My art is very close to those old cave paintings. It's still about hand marks with mud on rock'.