Cy's Dilemma

Acrylic, oil, charcoal, pastel, aerosol on canvas, by artist Terry Urban.

Size 152,5 x 122 x 3,8 cm (48 x 60 x 1.5 in)

Cy's Dilemma is a portrait of desire, restraint, and contradiction-an ode to Cy Twombly's tangled romances and the quiet complexity of his sexuality.

The central figure, sharply dressed yet divided by light and shadow, becomes a vessel for duality: composure versus chaos, intimacy versus detachment. Behind him, a ghostlike skull emerges in raw, scribbled lines, suggesting the inevitability of decay beneath passion, or the lingering presence of past lovers that never fully fade.

The surface itself feels restless-gestural marks, erratic symbols, and bleeding color fields echo Twombly's language, where emotion is both expressed and concealed. Romantic longing collides with unease, as the figure stands suspended between connection and self-preservation.

The painting captures the tension of wanting deeply while navigating ambiguity, where love becomes both a muse and a quiet unraveling.