The Menil Collection The Menil Collection

Volubilus is a significant example of Cy Twombly’s early painting, stemming from a pivotal moment in the artist’s development. He created it in 1953 in his Fulton Street studio in New York City, immediately following his travels in Europe and North Africa with artist Robert Rauschenberg. He titled the painting after an archaeological site he visited in present-day Morocco. The arch-like forms, drawn while the paint was still wet, recall the site’s Roman-style architecture. The historic location captivated Twombly because he had just begun to explore the art and mythological subjects of classical and pre-classical Mediterranean cultures that would inform his practice for the rest of his career. This interest in history and the passage of time inspired the artist to give his work an aged look. He achieved this effect in Volubilus by mixing dirt into his paints, creating what he called “eroded surfaces.”