Part 3 Project 5 Townscapes Research for Exercise 1

Fig. 1. Twombly, Cy.

Coronation of Sesostris, panel 10, 2000.

[acrylic, crayon and pencil]

My research leading up to this next section of my course lead me to artists who delight in working in layers, which enigmatically provide an intricate surface woven with intriguing shape, forms and motifs.

Cy Twombly seems to specialize in using a monochromatic color scheme with numerous layers. His favored medium in the works I studied was crayon and pencil details on wall paint. As someone who loves playing with writing in combination with ink work, I particularly enjoy his work Coronation of Sesostris, panel 10, 2000. The medium he chose for this work was acrylic, crayon, and pencil on canvas. (See Fig. 1) (Cy Twombly, 2016) I love the somber palette of Untitled 1951. The subtle nuances of tonal changes in some areas contrast with the rugged, abrasive strokes of creamy white on dense black in the vertical strokes of his mark-making. These marks in turn allude to letter formations.

I continued to research contemporary artists and OCA tutors, Clare Wilson and Doris Rohr. What I found appealing in both of their works is the way that they work with layers. They lay down a layer and then rework or work over it.

In the case of Doris Rohr’s, her promotional drawing for her exhibition Jetsam, comprises of an initial layer, which seems to be the lightest suggestion of a waterfall worked in a pale layering of inks, followed by detailed pencil work of the foreground tree branches and twigs. (Rohr, 2016) It was interesting to see how she combined successfully combined the achromatic graphic pencil sketching with ink washes.

Clare Wilson’s work has an ethereal magnificence to it, like a shrouded misty dawn or sunset. The shapes and forms of previous layers lie intangibly buried beneath the misty layers of subsequent images. The soft warmth of her limited palette provides a soothing absorption to the shapes and forms which suggest vegetation or landscape. It is hard for me to pinpoint a particular image that inspires me as her work in general is truly absorbing. (Wilson, 2016)



List of Illustrations

Twombly, Cy (2000) Coronation of Sesostris, panel 10 [acrylic, crayon and pencil] 207 X 156 cm. Cy Twombly Gallery 1. [online] Available at: http://www.cytwombly.info/

Works Cited

Cy Twombly, 2016. Cy Twombly Gallery 1. [Online]
Available at: http://www.cytwombly.info/ [Accessed 11 March 2016].

Rohr, D., 2016. Exhibition - Jetsam - Doris Rohr. [Online]
Available at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1565658170428032
[Accessed 12 March 2016].

Wilson, C., 2016. Clare Wilson. [Online]
Available at: http://www.clare-wilson.com/gallery_552243.html
[Accessed 12 March 2016].