Published by Dulwich Picture Gallery on the occasion of the exhibition Twombly and Poussin. Arcadian Painters in 2011, the exhibition catalogue opens with the sponsor’s foreword by Gagosian Gallery, in the person of Larry Gagosian, and the director’s foreword by Ian A.C. Dejardin, who both reflect on the unexpected connection between Cy Twombly and Nicolas Poussin, in particular how “their careers, albeit 350 years apart, followed parallel paths”. The exhibition curator, Nicholas Cullinan, joins in the acknowledgements and addresses his first words to the artist himself, Cy Twombly. Short biographies of the two artists conclude this first section of the volume.

The catalogue includes the essays “Notes on Painting” by Nicholas Cullinan and “Immortal - and Eternally Young: Figures from Classical Mythology in the Work of Nicolas Poussin and Cy Twombly” by Katharina Schmidt and the catalogue entries by Nicholas Cullinan and Xavier F. Salomon, dedicated to the following themes, presenting related works by the two artists: “Arcadia and the Pastoral”; “Anxiety and Theatricality”; “Venus and Eros”; “Apollo, Parnassus and Poetry”; “Pan and the Bacchanalia”; “The Four Seasons”. The bibliography and the photographic credit conclude the last section of the catalogue.

The comprehensive essay “Notes on Painting” by Nicholas Cullinan focuses on “the dialectical relationship of how we read Poussin through the present and Twombly through the past”. Thought thematic paragraphs, the author paints a portrait of Twombly and Poussin that is as much biographical as it is artistic, identifying parallels in both the lives and careers of the two artists, emphasising how nature and Arcadia, as well as the appeal of mythology, are commonly explored themes.

In her essay “Immortal – and Eternally Young: Figures from classical mythology in the work of Nicolas Poussin and Cy Twombly”, Katharina Schmidt explores the artistic influence of the mythological element common to both Poussin and Twombly, identifying the preferences for certain subjects and figures such as Apollo, Venus, Bacchus, Pan and the metamorphosis. Regarding the mythological component in Cy Twombly’s work the author writes: “Unlike many of his contemporaries, Twombly does not invent his own personal myths: he draws on the gods of classical antiquity and their posthumous existence. With his multi-layered visual language he cuts paths for memory. They lead through the things which humanity has invested with complex mythological figures and end in mystery and ambiguity.”

Published on the occasion of the 2011 exhibition Twombly and Poussin. Arcadian Painters at the Dulwich Picture Gallery, London (June 29 – September 25, 2011).

Twombly and Poussin. Arcadian Painters. Texts by Nicholas Cullinan, Xavier F. Salomon, and Katharina Schmidt. London: Dulwich Picture Gallery, 2011. English edition.