Cy Twombly: Cycles and Seasons

Cy Twombly: 'When I work, I work very fast, but preparing to work can take any length of time' Photograph: Francois Halard/PR

Untitled 2007, from the series A Scattering of Blossoms. 'I work in waves, because I'm impatient' Photograph: PR

Untitled, Part VII, 1988. Oil and water-based paint on wood panel. 'I'm not too sensitive to colour, not really' Photograph: PR

Ferragosto V, 1961. Oil paint, wax crayon, lead pencil on canvas. '[The Ferragosto paintings] were done in Rome, when I had to stay there in August. I was completely crazy, out of my mind with [the] heat' Photograph: PR

Bacchus series: Untitled VII, 2005. Acrylic on canvas. 'These were all done in a couple of months. It was just very physical' Photograph: PR

Coronation of Sesostris, 2000. 'I managed to do very childlike painting, very immediate' Photograph: PR

Cy Twombly at Black Mountain College, North Carolina in the 50s. 'It was the first time I'd been in an atmosphere of artsy-ness' Photograph: Robert Rauschenberg/PR