Courtesy of the Artist and Metro Pictures

Metro Pictures in New York is currently presenting several recent charcoal drawings by artist Robert Longo. Longo achieved critical acclaim in the 1980s with Men in the Cities, a dynamic drawing series depicting modern businessmen in contorted positions, a commentary on our contemporary afflictions and anxieties. The exhibition at Metro Pictures, Surrendering the Absolutes, opened on April 23rd and contains Longo’s signature large scale works that “represent a departure from his recent serial approach to a subject and instead are linked by atmospheric sensations of light and abstracted imagery,” as stated in the press release.

Untitled (Cathedral of Light), seen above, consists of five panels and illustrates rays of light beaming through the windows of a cathedral, cascading diagonally across the panels. The distinct contrast between the black and white is tempered by the celestial and atmospheric treatment of light. Other works include an aerial night view of Tokyo taken from a satellite, with roadways radiating from the center; the exterior hull of an airplane, with a line of oval windows mysteriously glowing from within; and a 12-foot tall tower of four black charcoal drawings framed behind glass.

Courtesy of the Artist and Metro Pictures

Longo has had solo exhibitions across the world and is represented in several major museum collections such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim in New York, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, and the Ludwig Museum in Cologne.

Surrendering the Absolutes will remain at Metro Pictures until May 30, 2009.