Contemporary and Post Modernism: Cy Twombly (1928-2011)

Cy Twombly:

Cy Twombly was an American painter whose character painting style comprised of expressive drips and active, scribbled, and scratched lines on solid fields of mostly neutral colours (grey, tan, or off-white). A sophisticated and emotional painter, his art situates itself in the context of the history of Western civilization and the process-orientated aspects of Abstract Expressionism. He balanced the static history of the past with his own sensual and emotional responses to it, focussing on his immediate surroundings and combining aspects of both traditional European sources and new American painting. Examples of these inspirations included French neoclassicism, contemporary graffiti on ancient local walls, and Greek and Roman mythology, history, and places.

A major conceptual foundation of his abstract art was writing and language; he was focussed on the written word and the process of writing. These qualities took on forms of identifiable doodles and splotches or words directly on the canvas or line-based compositions that were usually inspired by handwriting. These creations suggested subtle narratives that lied beneath the surfaces of his paintings and coincided with his interest in layering time and history, painting and drawing, and various meanings and associations.

I find Twombly’s paintings very interesting. As a huge fan of writing myself, I can see where his interest lied and in my opinion, I think that he has emulated the written word and its process quite well. I find myself impressed with his ability to use drips and lines to create art that is full of life.

Artworks:

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References:

• Tate. “Cy Twombly 1928-2011.” Tate, Tate, www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/cy-twombly-2079.
• “Cy Twombly Overview and Analysis.” The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/artist-twombly-cy.htm.
• “Cy Twombly – 197 Artworks, Bio & Shows on Artsy.” 11 Artworks, Bio & Shows on Artsy, Artsy, www.artsy.net/artist/cy-twombly.