Quattro stagioni I. Primavera 1994

Curator: Well, here we are standing before Cy Twombly’s "Quattro stagioni I. Primavera" painted in 1994. It's currently residing here at MoMA, created with a combination of acrylic and other media. What springs to mind for you? Editor: Absolute frenzy, initially. Controlled frenzy, perhaps. The drips give a sense of downward motion, fighting against these erupting slashes of color. I immediately think of the labor involved—the building up and breaking down of surfaces. Curator: That frenetic energy resonates perfectly, I think, with the essence of spring itself. Look at the vibrancy of the reds and yellows, bursting against the canvas like new blossoms after a long winter. It feels… joyful, doesn’t it? Like a release. Editor: Joyful, maybe… but it feels produced. The white canvas dominating much of the work becomes almost like the factory floor upon which these actions take place. The scribbles of text, obscured yet visible, almost feel like instruction manuals, partially erased or rejected drafts from the studio. What exactly were the constraints Twombly worked with, how were those mixed materials handled and applied to result in that raw and very powerful expressive quality? Curator: That's a compelling perspective. Perhaps those fragmented words—the poem within the painting, if you will—speak to the chaotic process of nature itself. There's definitely layering going on. I see layers of intention, of emotion… Twombly wasn't simply throwing paint. Editor: I’m struck by the duality here. The flowers look almost naturally formed at the end, created by purely free impulse and chaos that feels incredibly human, versus what I imagine could be machine manufactured goods with his color choices: red, yellow acrylics against a vast whiteness—it feels deliberately contemporary in its contrast. Curator: You make me see something more of the dialogue with nature; of course we cannot copy nature exactly… and this piece represents Twombly doing a wonderful imitation of springtime! I can't decide if there's optimism or anxiety at its core... it is a great piece, isn't it? Editor: It is indeed, particularly regarding what's revealed about art as an exercise in building surfaces. Curator: And maybe, in a small way, "Primavera" reveals something to us of our relationship with seasons, cycles, and change. Editor: Exactly!