TWOMBLY

Although Abstract Expressionism symbolized the end of painting for some, there was a group of young artists who emerged in the 1950s who sought to re-establish painting apart from the medium-dictated supremacy of established artists like Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning.

Cy Twombly (1928) is one of the most important post-AbEx artists, 1/3 of the artistic triumvirate consisting of Twombly, Jasper Johns, and Robert Rauschenberg.

An American artist, Twombly's early position as a cryptologist for the U.S. Army greatly influenced his later artwork.

Twombly's work consists mostly in large-scale paintings reminiscent of graffiti, particularly that which would be found on a chalkboard or on a bathroom wall.

These works combine painting and drawing, and take the actual line or mark itself as their subject.

Twombly's work set the stage for later graffiti artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, and he continues to work in a handwritten, yet more representational style.

I'm wearing Ann Demeulemeester paint-splattered pants, a Free People silk blouse, Fashion Against AIDS necklace, Steve Madden sandals, and a Cynthia Rowley clutch.

[Twombly images from slowpainting.wordpress.com, mlbrownandco.wordpress.com, and creatives.posterous.com, respectively.]

STARS & STRIPES

I'm still enjoying what must be the last few days of warm fall weather. Though it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the retail scene, the weather as of late has felt more like back-to-school, making me want a bouquet of sharpened pencils instead of poinsettias.

This outfit was inspired by the work of contemporary artist Jasper Johns. Considered a Neo-Dadaist, Johns is well-known for his depictions of common iconography, such as the American flag, targets, and maps.

I have always been fascinated by the artistic triumvirate consisting of Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, and Cy Twombly (frequented by Merce Cunningham and John Cage as well). Feeding off of one another, they produced some of the best American art post-Abstract Expressionism.

This is probably Johns' most famous work, Three Flags. Though Johns' work seems to be fixed on American themes, he mainly chose the subjects for his work based on their recognizability.

Johns is well-known for his use of encaustic, building up wax on the surface of his paintings mixed with the pigment, which gives his work a two-dimensional quality.

Johns was interested in using common imagery and symbols in his work as a means of drawing attention to the surface and medium.

I decided to go along with the themes in Johns' works by sporting a red, white, and blue color scheme interspersed with instantly recognizable prints.

I chose the shiny leather skirt to represent the waxy finish of his encaustic works.

I'm wearing a vintage leather skirt with a J. Crew sweater, BCBG hat, sash from the Gap, and vintage boots with an old Juicy Couture bracelet as a boot chain.

[Johns images from globalgallery.com, artmarketingsecrets.com, michaelarnoldart.com, and artchive.com, respectively.]