Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Cy Twombly: Late Paintings: 2003-2011





It will astonish you that this comprehensive volume of Twombly's later works began when he was already 75 years of age, yet this iconic author produced a body of work so large in scale, dynamic in gesture, and vivid in fervent saturated color. It is very interesting to see the change from some of his earlier works which I have included.

Twombly's career really began in New York City in the early 50's when he worked alongside other great artists, Robert Motherwell, Robert Rauschenberg, Franz Kline, John Cage, Jasper Johns and others. It was also the time of the Jackson Pollock and de Kooning's art explosion.




Ferragosto I, 1961. Oil, crayon and pencil on canvas, 166 X 200 cm (65⅜ x 78¾ in.).

                                ©Cy Twombly Foundation
A very private man, Twombly avoided publicity and let his work speak for itself. Well traveled , well read, he had homes in Lexington Virginia and Gaeta, Italy, both with spacious studios.




Untitled (Winter Pictures), Panel 4, 2004. Polyptych in 10 parts. Masonry paint on wooden panel, 282 x 185 cm (111 x 72⅞ in.).

                                ©Cy Twombly Foundation









Untitled (Bacchus, Psilax, Mainomenos), 2005. Panel 7. Acrylic on canvas, 317.5 X 468.6 cm (125 X 184½ in.). 

                                ©Cy Twombly Foundation

Twombly works  or art are filled with his favored motifs of ancient symbolism, ships, flowers, poetry, and mythological references. Even at this last stage of his life, painting was so fundamental, so essential to Twombly that he produced art of such scale and intensity, that to see it in person is breathtaking. Most of these works have been shown extensively at The Gagosian Gallery in New York City.




Bay of Naples, 1961. Oil, industrial paint, crayon and pencil on canvas, 241.8 x 298.6 cm (94⅛ x 116¾ in.).

                                ©Cy Twombly Foundation




Untitled (Blooming: A Scattering of Blossoms and Other Things), 2007. Acrylic and crayon on wooden panel, 252 X 552 cm (99¼ X 217¼ in.).

                                ©Cy Twombly Foundation




The Rose (IV), 2008. Acrylic on wooden panel, 252 x 740 cm (99½ x 291¼ in.).

                                 ©Cy Twombly Foundation, photo courtesy of the Gagosian Gallery.





Consider purchasing this book for your library; it is full of the monumental and stunning works of art created in Twombly's  later years. http://thamesandhudsonusa.com/books/cy-twombly-late-paintings-2003-2011-hardcover 

My thanks to Thames and Hudson for the review copy of Cy Twombly: Late Paintings 2003-2011.

The author Nela Pavlouskova studied art aesthetics at The University of Paris, Sorbonne, where she wrote her PhD thesis on the works of Cy Twombly. 

Thank you to my Family, Friends, and Followers who support The Arts!
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xoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena



16 comments:

highheeledlife said...

Oh mon ami ... loving these!!! and Twombly's later years work is a great reminder and inspiration - that age is but a number and you can always go on to to do something more/new... brilliant!!! hugs and love, Celia M. - High Heeled Life

Splendid Market said...

Karena, so lovely. I've long been a fan but I guess I am more familiar with his earlier works. I adore the green and white blossoms with the haiku, and the vibrant roses are such a treat. Thank you for continuing to feature such a wonderful variety of great art. xo, ebh

Stacy CUrran said...

Love these! The green and white is my favorite. Thank you SO much for your comments and well wishes Karena - it means the world to me! I hope you are well...
Stcy

La Contessa said...

Was he ITALIAN?The name makes me think NOT!
I am not a modern fan..............but I get a kick out of his TITLES.........Bay of Naples and the 15th of August.I can see what he is painting so maybe he will bring me around to appreciating this kind of painting!
How are YOU.........do I see where your headed due WEST SOON!

Kristen @ Pursuing Vintage said...

So vibrant and bold! I prefer his work with the larger lines/colors.

Taylor Greenwalt said...

I love is large painting and the green blossoms..

designchic said...

I love his work and the second painting is a favorite! Happy weekend!

Decor To Adore said...

I have pinned your excellent post for Sweet Guy to read later. I think it may inspire him with the next series of paintings.
Have a wonderful weekend!

helen tilston said...

Hello Karena
This is a wonderful post. I love the book and will search it out.
I love Cy Tombley's work. I saw an exhibitiion of his work at MOMA many years ago. The scale of his work , his use of colour and composition is mesmerizing.
The first time I saw encaustic painting was about 30 years ago, when I saw Jasper John's "American Flag". I went on to study encaustic.
Enjoy your weekend

Shirley@Housepitality Designs said...

Amazing works of art...I do love The Rose (IV)....

therelishedroost said...

What a man ahead of his time! Have a lovely weekend Karena!!

Karen said...

Karena,
I've seen his work online before. I especially enjoy the paintings with writing on the canvas or board.
Thank you for always enriching us.
Enjoy the upcoming weekend.
Karen

RiƩ| Portobello Design Blog said...

It just proves that it's never to late to begin! Love his painting Blooming: A Scattering of Blossoms and Other Things. Have a lovely weekend!

Linda said...

They are beautiful!

LBDDiaries said...

OK I have to be honest with you, some remind me of my son's kindergarten scribbling. Some take my breath away. All remind me that I am able to produce my own wall art (yes, I paint/draw) because beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. I love that his greater works were later in life because that is something I firmly believe in - that we are never to old to do anything we desire and set our minds to do.

Anonymous said...

Great post !

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