καιρός remembered

The A of Achilles

In 1962, Cy Twombly created two paintings “about” Achilles: “Achilles Mourning the Death of Patroclus” and “The Vengeance of Achilles”, depicted here. In both paintings, as is often the case with Twombly, the title of the work is a fairly inconspicuous part of the composition. What is all the more striking is the colour red, the colour of blood and death.
In “The Vengeance of Achilles”, we can recognize the first letter of the hero’s name, which can also be interpreted as the bloodied tip of an arrow. The arrow of his vengeance.
I cannot help but see this as a foreshadowing of his own death.

Photo of the week: Cy Twombly, The Vengeance of Achilles, 1962, Kunsthaus Zürich, Switzerland 2025