III Notes From Salalah (Note I) 2007

Cy Twombly made this painting, "III Notes From Salalah (Note I)," using paint on canvas. The sweeping marks of white over a dark ground are clearly born of gestural, physical work. Look at the way the white paint pools and drips, the result of gravity acting on a fluid material. This wasn't just intellectual labor; the artist had to lean into the making process. Twombly has worked with materials in an active way. The contrast between ground and figure is so stark. We can almost feel the speed of his movements. It is so thin and diluted it drips down the painting like rain. The dark ground seems built up through layers of sweeping brushstrokes. We don't see signs of labor here but the artist's own physical engagement. Ultimately, this work asks us to think about the relationship between mind and body, and the ways in which an artist’s actions can leave a lasting trace. It challenges traditional notions of skill, where perfect finish is the ultimate goal. Instead, here, the process is the point.