Lot 13 N

Filigree and powerful in equal measure, this composition is concentrated in the horizontal centre of the picture and is reminiscent of a movement study or the documentation of an ongoing series of experiments. Delicately curved lines and energetically placed symbols guide the viewer’s eye from the left edge of the picture into the pictorial space on the right with a gentle but irresistible dynamism; scriptural elements and abstract drawing run seamlessly into one another and, as always, refuse to be deciphered.
Visually, Twombly’s works on paper are always characterised by the tone of unprocessed paper that dominates the picture surface, lending a light, time-warped appearance. They look like components of a collection of scientific notes and sketches, but possess an unmistakably poetic, playful dimension. The question of which elements originate from chance and intuition and which are the result of a possible underlying system remains the artist’s secret. “The magic of Twombly is precisely this kind of writing, the disfiguration of symbols, alphabets, and numbers, the expression of nothing but oneself, aiming at absolute totality, perfecting the revolution of the symbol. To express nothing but oneself, and to do so perfectly ¬– this is the fluctuating rhythm, the contradiction, the mystery, and the esotericism of the creative act.” (Pierre Restany, as cited in: Harald Szeemann (ed.), Cy Twombly, Bilder, Arbeiten auf Papier, Skulpturen, Munich 1987, p.27)