Cristy  Moreno  

10/28/11  

Visual  Merchandising  

Project  #2  

Cy  Twombly  

 

The  basis  for  my  project  is  the  unique  Cy  Twombly.  Born  in  1928  in  

Lexington,  Virginia.  His  artistic  interest  began  when  he  was  young.  Spanish  artist  

Pierre  Duara,  whom  moved  to  Lexington  during  Twombly’s  teenage  years,  heavily  

influenced  Twombly.  At  fourteen,  Twombly  was  able  to  attend  lectures  on  Modern  

European  art  and  painting  classes  taught  by  the  Spanish  artist.    He  was  able  to  spend  

most  of  his  teens  and  some  of  his  twenties  experiencing  different  art  schools.  Finally  

in  1951  he  had  his  first  solo  exhibition  at  The  Seven  Stairs  Gallery  in  Chicago.    

The  following  year  he  received  a  travelling  grant  from  the  college  he  was  

attending.  After  experiencing  the  splendor  of  Europe  and  North  Africa,  Twombly  

then  began  to  draw  and  scratch  into  wet  paint,  a  technique  he’s  now  known  for.    

Though  I  didn’t  include  the  element  of  scratching  in  my  designs,  I  really  liked  

and  embraced  the  concept  of  colorful,  dripping,  wet  paint.  His  two  works,  Roses  (the  

pink  and  violet  version)  and  Notes  From  Salalah,  directly  influenced  my  two  designs.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roses  

 

 

 

Notes  From  Salalah  

Urban  Outfitters  and  Alice  +  Olivia  

 

After  Looking  at  Twombly’s  sometimes-­‐colorful  work  I  felt  the  two  retailers  

that  could  best  portray  the  stress-­‐free  vibe  I  got  from  Roses  and  Notes  From  Salalah  

were  Urban  Outfitters  and  Alice  and  Olivia.    

I  personally  consider  Cy  Twombly  to  be  a  artist  that  didn’t  follow  or  feed  into  

trends,  considering  how  unique  his  style  is.  Likewise,  though  always  “trendy”,  Urban  

Outfitters  and  Alice  and  Olivia  how  their  own  uniqueness  too.  Urban  Outfitters  on  

it’s  own  is  identifiable  by  their  eclectic-­‐ness.  Alice  and  Olivia  on  the  other  hand  is  

recognizable  by  bold  colors  and  playful  silhouettes.  I  thought  both  of  their  spirited  

looks  fit  Cy  Twombly’s  style.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once  I  picked  the  pieces  I  liked  by  Twombly  and  the  fact  that  I  wanted  to  

design  for  Urban  Outfitters  and  Alice  and  Olivia,  I  noticed  that  Urban  already  

frequently  uses  dress  forms  in  their  window  displays.  On  the  contrary,  Alice  and  

Olivia  uses  lively-­‐posed  mannequins.  After  a  little  speculation,  I  figured  Roses  would  

work  as  a  body  of  a  mannequin  and  Notes  from  Salalah  could  be  rewritten  into  

Urban  Outfitters  and  that  could  also  work  as  the  body  of  a  bust  form.    

Both  finished  products  are  mainly  made  by  pink  and  violet  (influenced  by  the  

colors  in  Roses)  watercolor,  to  produce  the  dripping  paint  look.  The  Urban  Outfitters  

dress  form  uses  a  basic  non-­‐adjustable  stand  with  no  neck  block  (due  to  the  shape  of  

the  body).  In  contrast,  the  Alice  and  Olivia  mannequin  is  held  by  a  large  stand  

connecting  to  the  legs  (so  that  it’s  able  to  hold  up  the  mannequin  despite  the  width.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Materials  Used  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works  Cited  

 

"Cy Twombly / Biography." Cy Twombly. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.

"Cy Twombly | Gallery 1." Cy Twombly | Gallery 1. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.

"URBN INC : Urban Outfitters." URBN INC : Urban Outfitters. URBN Inc.,

n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.