Cy Twombly Quotes

It's instinctive in a certain kind of painting ... It's like a nervous system. It's not described, it's happening. The feeling is going on with the task. The line is the feeling, from a soft thing, a dreamy thing, to something hard, something arid, something lonely, something ending, something beginning.

I hate roses. Don't you? It's all right if you can hide them in a cutting garden, but I think a rose garden is the height of ick.

When I work, I work very fast, but preparing to work can take any length of time.

I swear if I had to do this over again, I would just do the paintings and never show them.

And we who have always thought of happiness climbing, would feel the emotion that almost startles when happiness falls.

I look at a lot of artists. I'm inspired by - I suppose I shouldn't say 'inspired,' but it's not really influenced. I am inspired. Art comes from art.

I listed to Tchaikovsky. He is both kitsch and profound. I love that lack of "Good taste."

I had my freedom and that was nice

White paint is my marble.

Every line is the actual experience with its own unique story.

I'm not an abstractionist completely.

I love my sculptures, and I was lucky I had them for 50 years because no one would look at them, and I really liked having them around.

I would've liked to have been Poussin, if I'd had a choice, in another time.

My parents were from New England. It's very funny, but when I grew up, you always had to say, 'Yes, ma'am' and 'Yes, sir.'

I used to change things in my early paintings to get the nuance or feeling I wanted, but now I plan everything in my head before I do it.

Once I said to my mother: 'You would be happy if I just kept well-dressed and had good manners,' and she said: 'What else is there?'