Cy Twombly's art in the 1950s was a period of significant development and transition, reflecting his journey both geographically and artistically. After beginning his formal art training in Boston, Twombly moved to New York City in 1950, where he studied at the Art Students League. It was here that he met Robert Rauschenberg, who would become a close friend and artistic influence. Together, they studied at Black Mountain College in North Carolina, an experience that profoundly shaped Twombly's approach to art​ (The Art Story)​​ (Getty Art)​. Twombly's early work in the 1950s was influenced by Dadaist and Surrealist artists such as Kurt Schwitters and Alberto Giacometti, as well as the abstract expressionist movements epitomized by artists like Franz Kline, Jackson Pollock, and Robert Motherwell. His work during this time began to move away from the figurative, embracing abstraction and exploring the expressive possibilities of mark-making. This period was marked by Twombly's engagement with the primitive, ritual, and the psychoanalytic concept of the fetish, drawing inspiration from his travels in Europe and incorporating themes and styles from ancient and tribal art​ (The Art Story)​. In 1952, Twombly and Rauschenberg traveled to Italy and North Africa, funded by a grant from the Virginia Museum of Fine Art. This trip was crucial in developing Twombly's enduring fascination with classical culture and literature, which would become a hallmark of his work. Upon their return, they had a joint exhibition at Stable Gallery in New York, which met with a negative public reaction, highlighting the avant-garde nature of their work during this period​ (The Art Story)​. Twombly's artwork in the 1950s was characterized by a transition from monochromatic themes influenced by Rauschenberg and the New York School towards a more personal style marked by gestural drawing and abstraction. After being drafted into the army in 1953, where he served as a cryptographer, Twombly's experience further influenced his signature scribbled, calligraphic style. He created works in the dark, resulting in elongated, distorted forms that would become prominent in his later pieces​ (The Art Story)​​ (Wikipedia)​. By the late 1950s, Twombly had solidified his place among the emerging artists of his generation, working alongside Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns. His decision to move to Rome in 1957 marked a significant shift in his life and work, immersing him more deeply in the classical traditions that inspired much of his later work. This move to Italy heralded a period where Twombly would further explore themes of mythology, history, and the tension between abstraction and figuration​ (Wikipedia)​. Throughout the 1950s, Twombly's art evolved from abstract expressionist influences to a more personal and historically resonant practice, setting the stage for his later, more mature work characterized by its engagement with classical antiquity and lyrical abstraction​ (The Art Story)​​ (Wikipedia)​.