Richard Long

Richard Long

(Bristol, Regno Unito, 1945)

Richard Long’s art is based on the artist’s presence in the natural landscape, which enhances and makes contemporary the English tradition of nature contemplation.

Long has walked for miles and miles, through different regions of the earth, preferring uninhabited sites that allow him to establish a direct dialogue with the environment.

The result of his experiences takes the form of drawings and photographs that evoke the places he went through, the encountered natural elements and the performed actions. He also makes installations that bring into the exhibition space concrete fragments belonging to a specific place.

In the room, Wind Line Walk, 1992 and Sella Circle. An Eight-day Walk in the South Tyrol, Italy, 1996, are two examples of how Long documents his walks in the natural environment: the former through graphic signs that create a sort of wind map of the area concerned, the second when he uses photography to represent ephemeral sculptures made on site.

Romulus Circle, 1994, is composed of tuff stones found in the volcanic area of the Tolfa Mountains, in Lazio, and belongs to the type of works that Long makes for the interiors of museum spaces.

Rivoli Mud Circle, 1996, is part of a cycle of wall paintings made by the artist with his own hands, using mud taken from the surroundings of the museum in which the work is executed.