Writing, body and gesture cy twombly

This essay addresses the grey paintings series by the American artist Cy Twombly (1928-2011). Based on an analysis of Panorama (1955) and Cold Stream (1966), I propose that the series is linked to forms of inscription associated, simultaneously, with the verbal and the pictorial. Although it is not possible to identify letters or words, these works show a close link with a gestural and corporal dimension of writing. In my analysis I establish relationships with archaic inscriptions, with cryptography, with the practice of mantras, and with processes of school literacy.