“The Natural World”, created by Twombly during the last decade, consists mainly of drawings and paintings with landscapes or seascapes as their central theme.  This exhibit is an encore presentation for the artist, whose work first debuted in Chicago in 1951. 

Cy Twombly, considered by the museum’s curator to be ‘one of the greatest American artist of our time’, was born Edwin Parker Twombly, Jr. on April 25, 1928.  He inherited the nickname ‘Cy’ from his father, who also bore the name in honor of baseball great Cy Young, a Chicago White Sox pitcher. 

Twombly’s strange style of art basically renders graffiti paintings, punctuated by calligraphic scrawls and scribbles.  The canvasses on which Twombly chooses to present usually consists of gray, tan and off-white colors.  Additionally, Twombly uses a wide variety of mediums including, wax, pencil and collage to convey his message.  In his exhibit entitled, “The Four Seasons:  Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter (1993-’94), Twombly employed the following:  synthetic polymer paint, oil, house paint, pencil, and crayon on four different canvasses.

Cy Twombly’s early art was largely influenced by his friendship with fellow artist Robert Rauschenberg, whom he met in New York during the early 1950’s.  Rauschenberg encouraged Twombly to attend Black Mountain College in North Carolina, where he hooked up with other famous artists, including, John Cage and Robert Motherwell.  Both Twombly and Rauschenberg produce art that is complicated, historical, impure and poetic.  However, where Rauschenberg’s art usually features collages, Twombly’s art features writings and scribbles.

In 1952, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts offered Twombly a grant which allowed him to travel to Spain, France, North Africa, and Rome, Italy.  Then, in 1953, Twombly returned to New York, where he became a cryptologist in the army.  This experience left an indelible impression on Twombly’s artistic style.  Later, in 1959, Twombly became a Roman citizen, and created his first abstract sculptures.  His sculptures, which are presented in a wide variety of mediums and shapes, are always coated in white paint, or as Twombly put it, his ‘marble’.

At Tate Modern in London, Twombly’s exhibit was displayed from June thru September, 2008.  The basic themes explored in this exhibit are the cycles of seasons, nature and the passing of time.  It was at Tate Modern that Twombly’s “Four Seasons” paintings made their first debut. 

Among the 32 paintings rendered at The Art Institute, the following specific works are prominent:  an untitled floral motif in seven acrylics of wax, pencil and collage on paper; six sculptures in wood, plaster and bronze; seven dry print photographs; and three huge canvasses from the series, “Blooming, A Scattering of Blossoms and Other Things” (2007).

Overall, I found Cy Twombly’s work very poignant and fascinating; I especially enjoyed his floral motifs.  Twombly’s exhibit, which is at once, sedate and violent, gloomy and joyous, expresses passion and romanticism at their deepest levels.  Viewing Twombly’s artwork is an experience I will always treasure; I am delighted that Chicago’s Art Institute chose to display it in their new wing. Cy Twombly is an enigmatic artist whose visually delightful work invites appreciation and speaks to the heart of the American people.