Cy Twombly – Natural History I & II (1974–76)
→ About The Works
Natural History Part I: Mushrooms(1974) and Part II: Some Trees of Italy (1975/76) are two of Cy Twombly’s most significant print portfolios, offering a profound investigation into botanical forms through a fusion of expressive mark-making and scientific imagery. These works reflect Twombly’s enduring interest in nature, memory, and classical history, and are considered pivotal contributions to 20th-century works on paper.
→ Natural History Part I: Mushrooms (1974)
This portfolio consists of ten prints, each combining lithography, grano-lithography, collotype, photochrome, and collage on Rives Couronne paper. Motifs of mushrooms — symbols of organic growth and decay — are presented alongside expressive markings, hand-drawn text, and layered imagery. Each sheet measures 29.9 x 22.2 in., and the edition includes 98 signed and numbered prints, along with 17 artist proofs (AP), 1 printer’s proof (PP), and 1 special proof (SP). All works are initialed by Twombly.
→ Natural History Part II: Some Trees of Italy (1975/76)
Comprising eight prints, this portfolio extends Twombly’s inquiry into the natural world, focusing on the symbolic and structural form of trees. Executed with lithograph, grano-lithograph, and collotype on Fabriano paper, these works similarly combine scientific and expressive elements. Each sheet also measures 29.9 x 22.2 in., from an edition of 98, plus 17 AP, 1 PP, and 1 SP, all initialed by the artist.
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→ Artistic & Historical Context
Twombly’s Natural History series draws direct inspiration from Pliny the Elder’s Naturalis Historia, a Roman encyclopedic text written between 77–79 AD. Pliny’s attempt to catalog the natural world served as a foundation for Twombly’s exploration of classification, transformation, and the aesthetics of organic systems. Using the visual language of scientific documentation, Twombly integrates botanical illustration with abstract collage and gestural drawing, bridging classical inquiry with contemporary expression.
→ Techniques & Themes
Both series employ a distinc tmixed media approach, combining botanical imagery, transparent tracing papers, found visual material, and Twombly’s characteristic scrawl and gesture. The result is a tension between taxonomic order and lyrical abstraction — a dialogue between the fixed and the ephemeral. Through mushrooms and trees, Twombly examines cycles of growth, memory, and the human impulse to interpret nature through both science and art.
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