So Long Cy

CY TWOMBLY 1928-2011

Cy Twombly

Untitled

I always liked Cy.  First of all, I liked his name. The sounds rolled around in my mouth enunciating the "tw", drawing out the short "o",  and then blowing out the lips "mbly".  I liked that he always marched to his own drum, settling in Italy rather than New York, and never in step with any ongoing "isms".  The joy of creating is described aptly, when he described that each line that he made was "the actual experience...it does not illustrate.  It is the sensation of its own realization."  Years later, he described more explicitly, "It's more like I'm having an experience than making a picture." Dada was an early interest and influence.  Soon out of art school,  he used the Surrealist method of working in the dark so as to rely on his instincts and liberate himself from the very art school techniques he had just learned.  He worked nearly up to his death, completing a 2010 ceiling painting commission for the Louvre, before he succumbed to a battle with cancer. Cy Twombly was an inspiration  for his inventiveness;  forging fearlessly into the future without a lot of fanfare.  His unique marks will live on, and on, and on.  

Summer Melt

It's 100 degrees plus outside and the humidity is fierce!  Much as I like the outdoors, I have a great appreciation for air conditioning on days like today.  In the world of art and design however, there can be a certain beauty to what appears to be melted from the heat.  Surrealistic, and other-worldly,  these artistic examples take the ordinary idea of a chandelier, tablecloth, and candelabra to a whole new level of creative thinking.

  Atlantis by Terzani

What's this?! Those Italians are at it again! This chandelier is composed of two miles of delicate nickel chain, looped and draped on three metal tiers. It appears to be made of light shimmering fabric, and is appropriately called Atlantis, as if excavated from an ancient palace beneath the sea.

Spectrum West Collection

An old standby that I've shown you before, drapes of gentle folds are created by heating this sheet of clear acrylic. Classically graceful in its simplicity, it's the transparency that propels this into progressive design.

Tar Candelabra

I remember visiting Los Angeles for the first time, and putting the La Brea Tar Pits on my must-see list.  Designer Matta Biagi was so inspired that he designed an entire home collection around the idea of tar dipping and dripping.  This is a bronze candelabra actually dipped in tar.  Naturally, each piece is unique!

Atlantis by Terzani

Here is a side view of the Atlantis chandelier.  It has a stalactite quality.  Now THAT concept of being in a cave sounds very cool!  In common parlance,  perhaps these images are a contradiction of being both HOT and COOL! Perfect!