Last week's big opening of the Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago featured a mind-blowing exhibit of Cy Twombly's Peony Paintings. Perfect timing, as it is indeed peony season in Chicago. In one painting, Twombly riffed on the writings of Takarai Kikaku, who wrote a poem inspired by the 14-century samurai Kusunoki:
AH! The Peonies
For which
Kusonoki
Took off his Armour
Tyombly scratched the word and "Amour" into the wet paint and then squeezed in an "r" to create a delightful pun and tension between what we expect of a warrior (his armour) and what we don't expect (amour). The word "lyrical" came to my mind as a way to describe the power of this work, how the sounds of these words married to the visuals makes such a powerful use of visuals and language.
Seeing these Twombly works reminded me once again of the power of art to move, inspire, shake the soul with a moment of truth. It may sound like artsy BS, but it's truth. (I once witnessed a women with "super-Stendahl who fell to her knees when she saw the Vatican painting of St. John the Baptist beheaded, but that's another story).Who would have thought truth could be found in such lovely, deligtful and friendly flowers like peonies.
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