I translated the title from Latin and discovered it meant, 'In the garden and I am in Arcadia/Paradise.' I researched Arcadia and it is a place in Greece however in poetic fantasy it represents a pastoral paradise and in Greek mythology it is the home of Pan, the Greek god of nature.
I chose to talk about this piece as technically it is really amazing. When I first saw it at Frieze I thought that it was a black and white photograph but as I got closer I realised it was a drawing. Secondly I like the contrast of the light shining through the darkness of the Forrest.
When I first looked at this drawing I thought Longo could have been inspired by this incredible view he saw. Inspiration formed from the shadows in the Forrest into his mind and he felt he just had to convey the beauty of nature. However after a second look at his piece I found it very commercial, I struggled to find a meaning behind the work and as it is technically a very good piece of artwork a vast number of people may appreciate it and perhaps buy it. However after discussing this piece in the drawing session it is more likely that this piece is actually about death. The phrase, 'et in Arcadia ego,' is often used in artwork to show death, as the person has gone to paradise or Heaven. The strong contrast of light and dark also suggests death as light is often associated with Heaven and the light seems to be drawing you in towards it, like the expression, "go towards the light".
The process' of Longo's drawings involves him projecting a photograph onto a piece of paper and then tracing the figures in graphite. He then has his illustrator, Diane Shea, fill in details. Then he goes over the work in graphite and charcoal.
