Untitled
Known for his simplified, decorative depictions of island life, Untitled showcases Long’s characteristic use of a vibrant multi-coloured palette. Quite unusually for the artist, Long introduces a degree of perspective and depth in this scene, while also emphasising the variety and abundance of foliage enveloping the figures and their home. Focusing on the centrality of the traditional homestead within the daily rhythms of Caymanian life, Long’s subject reflects a sense of nostalgia for Cayman’s rapidly changing landscape, while referencing the simpler way of life that existed in years past.
About the Artist
Charles Long
b. 1948
Born in West Africa, Charles Long grew up in Swaziland and England, where he attended Farnham School of Art. He settled in the Cayman Islands in the late 1960s and became a founding member and first secretary of the Visual Art Society. Long has been dubbed a “chronicler of our times”, a phrase that became the title of a 2002 retrospective of his work at NGCI. Other key exhibitions include the Santo Domingo Biennale (2003) and Carifesta X in Guyana (2008). Long’s highly collectable work forms part of the permanent collections of NGCI and the Cayman Islands National Museum. NGCI exhibitions include the solo show Charles Long – Chronicler of Our Time (2002), Portrait of an Artist (2003), All Access (2015), Mediating Self (2017), Tropical Visions (2019), and Island of Women: Life at Home During our Maritime Years (2020).
