Studies of Bathers 1943

Milton Avery made these figure studies with graphite on paper, probably in a sketchbook, and possibly en plein air! I just love the economy of line! With only a few marks he totally evokes volume and shape. The top image shows a bather reclining, her weight pressing into the ground. I can see how Avery’s trying to work out her pose and how she relates to the landscape around her. There’s an immediacy here, a desire to capture a fleeting moment. Then, lower down, two women in conversation. Their simple dresses hang loosely on their bodies. I’m getting a sense of movement, as if they are walking and chatting in the sunshine, but everything is pared back to the essential, capturing their body language and the essence of that moment. Avery knew how to make the most of understatement, a quality I admire a lot.