by Sally Mann
First published 2016
Sally Mann enters the sacred space of Cy Twombly's Lexington studio with her camera. The celebrated contemporary artist has left traces everywhere: paint splattered across floors and walls, sculptures catching light through venetian blinds, works that teeter between creation and destruction. Mann captures what Twombly himself never could: the intimate geography of his creative process. She documents the chaos and order of artistic work, the progression from blank canvas to finished piece. Though Twombly remains invisible, his presence saturates every frame. Two artists who share the same Virginia soil engage in silent conversation across mediums. Mann's photographs reveal not just a workspace but the essence of how art emerges from solitude and struggle.
Genres: art, biography-memoir, photography
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: creative-expression, silent-conversation
Setting: Lexington, Virginia
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
112 pages · Hardcover · Abrams Books