Cy Twombly

Cy Twombly is an American contemporary artist whose work is mostly made up of mixed-media abstract, non-objective pieces. His work is said to blur the lines between painting and drawing. He operates under the idea that each line or mark in a work is it’s own subject, not the representation of something else. I haven’t been a huge fan of Twombly’s work, but I do take particular interest in his “scribble” paintings.

These works consist of dark backgrounds with layer after layer of scribbles in the style of unintelligible cursive writing. I find that these paintings have a nuance of color, as well as a quality of depth and texture that is something I often try to achieve in my own work.

As I said before, I was never a huge fan of Twombly’s work, but it’s starting to grow on me. It’s been several years since I last saw any of his work in person, and I feel like I’m gaining a new understanding and better appreciation of his work. Perhaps it’s time to make another trip to Houston to check out the Menil’s collection of his work again.