Untitled 1988

This Untitled painting was made in 1998 by Cy Twombly, using paint on canvas. Look at these marks; a constellation of lilacs and aubergines swirl, and float on the surface. You can imagine Twombly in his studio in Italy, smearing, daubing, and dripping paint to make something appear on the canvas. I think of Twombly, a painter of gestures. His marks are so free. The topmost gesture feels like a single brushstroke. It has a real confidence about it. And the drip down at the bottom feels incredibly deliberate. It’s a stain, like blood, anchoring the ethereal clouds of lilac. It reminds me of Helen Frankenthaler's soak-stain paintings. For Twombly, abstraction was a language. He seemed to say, “I am still alive.” The act of painting became a way for him to explore his existence. I think he achieved this with these blooms and blemishes. These spontaneous acts echo across time, informing new generations of mark-makers.