Cy Twombly’s piece, “The Four Seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter (Quattro Stagioni),” was created in 1994 and is part of a larger body of work entitled “Quattro Stagioni,” which translates to “four seasons” in Italian. The work focuses on four autonomous parts representing each season: spring, summer, autumn and winter. The painting is structured around his characteristic drawing technique and brushwork while also combining rich and abstract colors.
The artwork expresses an initial emotion of summer with layers and rich colors such as ochres, yellows and warm browns that correspond to the sunny days of the year. Additionally, the bursts of light are combined together in vivid streaks which echo those days when the sun shines through the window filling our living rooms with radiant light.
Twombly produces pieces that create recurring themes from nature. One example is “Bay of Naples” from 1961 that expresses a nostalgic atmosphere from his Italian childhood; he was raised in Lexington, Virginia but traveled throughout Europe as a young man. This landscape painting features turquoise waters with white-capped waves underlined by golden sand dunes, all surrounded by bright yellow sun rays that swirl around two vibrant white clouds portrayed indeed as memories captured in time.
