Precipitation Conciousness

I went to the Tate Modern this weekend, and fell completely in love with Cy Twombly's "Quatro Stagioni", which is a four-painting series depicting the four seasons. I was initially drawn to the brilliant color in the autumn painting ("Autunno"), and it's obvious that Twombly and I share a mutual favoritism of that particular time of year. However, it was the winter one ("Inverno", at left) that captured my deepest sentiments. I immediately understood the dark area as the shadows of a pine tree and the gray strokes as the drizzle of winter snow. I particularly liked the inhibition of the drips, so brilliant against the green. It perfectly portrays both the austerity and sensuality of winter's secrets. His work depicts the cyclical consciousness of life, as well as the reality of its decline.

It's no surprise to me that Twombly caught my eye, as his style is characterized by mixed medium (including text and writing) and a purposeful graffiti-like stroke. Both of these are elements that I consistently admire, and often use in what little work I do myself.

Here are Twombly's four paintings together, from spring to winter:

While on the topic of precipitation...

London rain is beautiful, except for the social phenomenon it creates. As the streets' grime becomes slick and translucent with the drizzle, the mass of pedestrians becomes an army of umbrellas, with faces masked behind a patchwork canopy of fabric. Because the only line of defense against this onslaught of metal frames and taunt nylon is to carry an umbrella yourself, the number of umbrellas (serving as both shields and weapons) grows exponentially. Eventually each individual opens his or her umbrella perhaps out of protection not from the rain but from the potential hazard of the others.
It is not such a stretch to say that this peculier occurrence is very much like the world's tendency toward nuclear weapons, which are accumulated merely as a defense against the perceived danger of everyone else's. This specific political issue is a relevant reference when one considers only the fundamental sentiments behind the growing problem, born out of never-ending presumptions of danger.
When the London's skies seep down with rain, I choose to walk without an umbrella - I think the world would be a kinder place if we embraced the changes in weather as a shared experience, sacrificing dry clothes and perfect hair in order to avoid isolating ourselves and likewise limiting our impression on others to one of hostility. Though you are left vulnerable to attack, you don't risk an accidental attack on others.