I am a huge fan of the American abstract painter Cy Twombly, always
have been, ever since a massive exhibition at the Whitechapel in 1987. So I was always going to visit the new show at Tate Modern: www.tate.org.uk
It is a great introduction to his work, grouped around themes and
cycles of work rather than strictly a chronological trawl through his
career, though it's good for that also. What I love(ed) is the sense
you have of a really intelligent mind devouring the world/experience/
emotion and trying to order this in some meaningful way, for his
benefit and ours.
On the other hand, his work is perfectly, visually, 'grist to the
mill' of the "..my 3-year-old-could-do-that.." viewer. No easy defence
against that kind of argument I am afraid, (as I once found out to my
cost during one particularly heated dinner party).
What I took from the show (I hope to go again before it closes), is a
renewed inspiration for my 'Market' film. In keeping with Twombly's
use of layers and creating palimpsests and rich dense thickets of
scribbles and scrubbings out, I hope to make the visual surface of the
film just as rich, while trying to balance out the needs of the story.
Well you have to have some ambition don't you!
Best
Kevin
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