Sculpture of the 1950s

Following his return to New York in spring 1953, Twombly executed a number of works that bear witness to this attempt to graft the classical and the ritual. One of these, Untitled of 1953 (left), has a columnar structure, and its coating of wax and yellowing house paint lends a veneer of great age. Like a related work of 1959, this sculpture corresponds to a panpipe, and its latent eroticism and relationship to the male body manifest Pan himself, an Arcadian deity of fertility and carnal desire. The artist had made a series of wall hangings in Italy, and fabric plays a meaningful role here. The trussing and tying seen in much of Twombly's sculpture of the 1950s speak to his interest in African art. One can see a strong relationship between Twombly's forms and Kongo ritual objects, with their entwined fibers, mirrors, and the many nails--emblematic of magic and exuding power--that pierce their wooden surfaces. Binding, whether with fabric, cord, or wire, is prevalent in Twombly's approach to the construction of his sculpture even today.

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