Aha Moment: Cy Twombly

In July we lost one of the great American painters – Cy Twombly, who was 83.
Twombly defied categories. Unlike the abstract painters of the previous generation, like Jackson Pollock and Willem DeKooning, Twombly’s work was playful, and frequently baffled critics. His wild scribbles often resembled naughty, exuberant, childlike paintings. It was also hugely influential for younger artists, among them a singer-songwriter named Tift Merritt.
Merritt was living in Paris, recovering from a strenuous year on tour. She was visiting the Centre Pompidou when she happened upon a giant Twombly canvas, nothing but a knot of red and black lines: “It stopped me dead in my tracks and it made me start to cry and I could not walk away from it.” For Merrit, the work captured everything she was trying to do in lines of song. (Originally aired: October 3, 2008)
  
Is there a work of art that’s changed the way you see the world? Tell us in a comment below – or by email.  
  
Bonus Track: Tift Merritt’s “Mille Tendresses” Listen to Merritt’s song, inspired by Cy Twombly’s work.