Returning from Tonnicoda 1973

Cy Twombly made *Returning from Tonnicoda* using green crayon on off-white paper. Look at the dense mass of looping lines, like a thicket of overgrown grass. I wonder what it was like for Twombly, standing or maybe even sitting, his hand moving swiftly across the page. Did he feel like he was back in Tonnicoda as he drew? Was he trying to capture a feeling, an emotion, a memory? I feel like I can see his whole body in this gesture. Twombly’s been a big influence on me. I love how he just lets it all hang out, embracing the messy, the awkward, and the unresolved. His work reminds me that painting isn’t about perfection; it’s about the process of discovery, of grappling with ideas, and of letting your intuition guide you. There’s a whole conversation happening between artists across time, where we’re all riffing off each other, responding to what’s come before, and pushing things in new directions. It’s a beautiful, chaotic dance.