This Too Will Pass by Richard Long

Richard Long created This Too Will Pass, 2021, a limited edition silkscreen print in support of Tate.
 
It is based on a new text work which is the result of a walk made during lockdown in 2020 in Bristol where he lives and works.
 
Using the familiar adage, “this too will pass”, The artist reminds us of the transitory nature of the human condition.
 
Against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic and an extended period of national lockdown in the UK, the passing of time could be considered comforting or uplifting, indicated by Long’s inclusion of the words “Treasure” and “Spring”.
 
However, with time passing, we are also reminded of the fragility of human life, reflected in the words “Sorrow” and “Loss”.
 
Central to the work, signified by the contrasting bold red type and the central position, is the word “Walking”. In 2020, at a time when the UK government enforced a “Stay at home” policy, only allowing for a few essential activities such as outdoor exercise, the importance of walking has been felt by many.
 
Richard Long, who has been creating works around walking throughout this career, understands this importance, indicating in this work that walking is no less than a “Lifeline”.
 
Richard Long's art is grounded in his direct engagement with the landscape. Born in Bristol in 1945 he first came to prominence in the late 1960s and is part of an international generation of artists who extended the possibilities of sculpture beyond traditional materials and methods.

Richard Long's work is rooted in his love of nature and the experience of making solitary walks. Many of these take him through rural and remote areas in the South West of Britain where Long grew up and still lives today. Some walks follow a particular idea, such as walking a straight line for a predetermined distance, or picking up, carrying, and placing stones at certain intervals along the way. Thus walking, as art, provides a simple way to explore relationships between time, distance, geography and measurement. 

Long has exhibited widely since his first solo show at the Konrad FIscher Gallery in Dusseldorf in 1968. He represented Britain in the British Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 1976 and was awarded the Turner Prize in 1989.

Edition of 100, each signed and numbered by the artist on an archival label on the reverse of the print.
Size: 84 x 55.6 cm