Tiznit 1953

Cy Twombly made this painting, Tiznit, with house paint, wax crayon and graphite on canvas. Look at those marks! That layering of scratching, smearing, and dripping. It’s a whole record of doing, a kind of map of Twombly’s actions, thoughts, and feelings. I wonder what he was thinking as he was making this. Maybe he had no idea where it was going. I get that! You just start, and you’re in it, trying one thing, then another. The paint is thin in places, thick in others. And those drips! They’re like evidence of gravity, of time passing. See that one dark, looping line over there on the left. It’s so raw, so direct. You feel the artist’s hand, his intention, his doubt. Twombly was so good at this—making paintings that are both intellectual and deeply felt. He reminds us that painting isn’t about answers. It’s about the conversation, the searching, the openness to whatever might happen.