"I have always thought "Twombly" ought to be (if it isn't already) a verb, as in twombly: (vt.): to hover thoughtfully over a surface, tracing glyphs and graphs of mischievous suggestiveness, periodically touching down amidst discharges of passionate intensity. Or, then again, perhaps a noun, as in twombly (n.): A line with a mind of its own." – Simon Schama
American painter Cy Twombly battled years of criticism for his highly expressionistic approach to drawing and painting, which was dubbed by many as little more than childish doodling. Yet he continued undeterred, finally gaining the recognition he deserved towards the latter half of his 60-year career, and today is hailed as one of the most versatile, sensitivite and original artists of recent history. Following his death three years ago, Twombly has remained the subject of great interest and research, with two enlightening new books – The Essential Cy Twombly and Cy Twombly: Paradise – hitting the shelves this autumn.
Here, riding the wave of Twombly celebration, we bring you some essential facts and quotes about the great man himself.
Leda and the Swan, 1962, oil paint, lead pencil, wax crayonCollection Cy Twombly Foundation
1. Edwin Parker "Cy" Twombly, Jr. was born on April 25, 1928 and was a taurus. A Taurean is typically highly dominant, astute and observant, strong and virile.
2. Twombly was nicknamed Cy by his father, a pitcher for the Chicago White Sox, after Cy Young, another famous pitcher who played for Cardinals, Red Sox, Indians and Braves.
Untitled, 1969, oil-based house paint, wax crayon, lead pencPrivate Collection, Munich
3. Twombly served as a code breaker in the US army between 1953 and 1954. It was during this period that he became known for his automatic drawings, which he would produce under the bedclothes at night.
4. On preferred mediums: "Paint is something that I use with my hands and do all those tactile things. I really don't like oil because you can't get back into it, or you make a mess. It's not my favorite thing... pencil is more my medium than wet paint."
Untitled, 1957, Gouache, wax crayon, pencil on irregularly cCollection Cy Twombly Foundation (current location unknown)
5. Twombly moved to Rome in 1957 and remained there for most of his life. Much of his work reflects and responds to the ancient Greco-Roman past that surrounded him. He was profoundly inspired by Greek and Roman mythology, history and architecture, as well as French Neo-classicism and contemporary graffiti on ancient local walls. Twombly's great skill was reimagining the past via his unique sensual and emotional response to it.
6. Writing and language were key to Twombly's concept and practice, not only in terms of the poems, myths and histories he devoured, but also the process of writing itself. Twombly often included scrawled words within his works as well as creating line-based compositions that were inspired by handwriting. Through these methods, he could allude to the subtle narratives that underscored his paintings.
MIN-OE, 1951, bitumen, oil-based house paint on canvas, 86,4Collection Robert Rauschenberg
7. On the preparation of painting: "I sit for two or three hours and then in 15 minutes I can do a painting, but that's part of it. You have to get ready and decide to jump up and do it; you build yourself up psychologically, and so painting has no time for brush. Brush is boring, you give it and all of a sudden it's dry, you have to go. Before you cut the thought, you know?"
8. Not one to shy away from technical experimentation, in the creation of his "gray paintings" (1967-71) Twombly employed the unusual technique of sitting on the shoulders of a friend who would shuttle him back and forth across the canvas, allowing him to make single flowing lines without interruption.
The Rose (IV), 2008, acrylic on plywood, 252 x 740 cmGagosian Gallery
9. In the 1980s and 1990s, Twombly took an increasing interest in flower painting. These works often have a funereal quality, as if memorialising the dead or offered as memento mori. Many of his flowers are instantiations of the Empyrean rose, mentioned in Dante's Paradiso as embodying the meeting of human and divine love.
10. In response to being called childish: "My line is childlike but not childish. It is very difficult to fake... to get that quality you need to project yourself into the child's line. It has to be felt."
, 2008, acrylic on plywood, 252 x 740 cm)
