Bacchus, 2006-2008, acrylic on canvas, 128 3/4 x 162 3/8 in, Cy Twombly Foundation Info Cy Twombly was an American artist, born in 1928 in Lexington, Virginia. He moved to Manhattan to study art in 1950, when the New York School was at its height. He studied with famed abstract expressionists such as Franz Kline and Robert Motherwell. During this time, he also traveled through Europe and North Africa, and in the late 1950s he moved to Rome permanently. Although he often traveled back and forth between Rome and New York throughout his career, Italy became his permanent home, and he died there in 2011. Twombly was greatly influenced both by artists in the New York School and European artists that he encountered during his travels. Because of this, Twombly's style was distinct from other Abstract Expressionist painters because he combined the New York style, which focused on the process of painting, with things he saw in Italy, such as Roman history and graffiti. His work as a cryptologist in the US Army during the early 1950s also affected his work, and he often thought of painting like writing, using line based compositions that often seem like they hint at a deeper narrative in his work. His work is usually large scaled, with scribbled and calligraphic shapes on pale white or gray backgrounds. In addition to painting, he also created some sculptures, which were inspired by the classical forms he saw in Italy. Many people criticize his work because people saw it as just scribbles without much difficulty or refinement, but this simplicity was part of Twombly's goal. This video gives an overview of Twombly's painting and sculpture work. Questions
1. Was Twombly a true abstract expressionist? What makes Twombly different from other abstract expressionists? 2. How did Twombly's surroundings and experiences affect the appearance of his work? 3. How do Twombly's sculptures compare with his paintings? Are they also very abstracted or are they more figurative? |
AuthorI am an art student at Maggie Walker Governor's School. On this site I post project progress, research, and photos of my final work. Archives
May 2018
Categories |