Gagosian
A new exhibition dedicated to Cy Twombly at Gagosian on the Upper East Side offers a compelling exploration of the artist’s unique approach to abstraction, spanning key periods from 1968 to 1990. The presentation captures the evolution of Twombly’s visual language, from his iconic “blackboard” paintings to later works that reflect a deep engagement with history, nature, and poetic expression.
Twombly, a pivotal figure in postwar American art, defies easy categorization. His artistic journey began with studies at institutions such as the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Art Students League of New York, and the avant-garde Black Mountain College, where he encountered influential figures like Robert Rauschenberg and John Cage. While the gestural intensity of Abstract Expressionism loomed large during his formative years, Twombly’s work took a divergent path—one that embraced an enigmatic fusion of painting, writing, and historical reference.
The exhibition’s first section is dedicated to Twombly’s renowned “blackboard” paintings (1968–1971), where looping, calligraphic white marks unfold across dark surfaces in an energetic yet elusive rhythm. These works, executed in oil and wax crayon, evoke a range of associations—from the disciplined practice of handwriting exercises to the spontaneous gestures of graffiti. The largest piece on display, an untitled work from 1971, resembles a flurry of blurred inscriptions, capturing a sense of fleeting movement, like rain streaking across a windowpane or birds in mid-flight. These works exemplify Twombly’s ability to balance order and chaos, structure and spontaneity.
Moving beyond the stark monochrome of the blackboard series, the exhibition transitions into Twombly’s later explorations of color and materiality. Paintings from the 1980s introduce an earthy palette dominated by greens and deep reds, suggestive of landscapes infused with both vitality and decay. Works like Paesaggio (1986) channel the atmospheric turbulence of a gathering storm, recalling classical depictions of nature’s forces. The gestural brushstrokes in these compositions reflect Twombly’s lifelong engagement with history—his art often echoing the dynamism of Renaissance and Baroque masters, as well as the expressive minimalism of East Asian calligraphy.
The final segment of the exhibition presents Five Day Wait at Jiayuguan, a fourteen-piece suite commemorating Twombly’s travels through Asia. Originally shown at the 39th Venise Biennale in 1980, these drawings have not been exhibited together in over forty years. Here, the artist distills vast landscapes and historical narratives into bold, fragmented compositions marked by deep reds and pinks, conjuring the arid landscapes of the Gobi Desert.
This exhibition offers a rare opportunity to engage with Cy Twombly’s work in a focused, thoughtful manner. By highlighting several distinct artistic chapters, it underscores the depth and complexity of his language, and shows us, more than a decade after his passing, how much his work continues to pulse with immediacy.