The Rose (I) 2008

Cy Twombly made "The Rose (I)" using paint on canvas, and you can see him thinking and feeling right there on the surface. Imagine Twombly in his studio, maybe in Italy, surrounded by canvases and pots of paint. He's circling this huge canvas, attacking it, building it up, letting it drip, with these luscious blooms emerging. The roses are explosions of yellow and crimson, and the paint is thick but also running, like he couldn't contain the energy. You get the sense that he's wrestling with the paint, trying to capture something fleeting. It reminds me of Joan Mitchell's wild abandon or maybe even de Kooning's messy, beautiful chaos. Painters are always talking to each other across time, you know? Ultimately, "The Rose (I)" is just one person's way of seeing, feeling, and trying to make sense of the world, one gesture at a time. And that’s what makes it so alive.