Ball Mountain 1943

Milton Avery sketched "Ball Mountain" with pencil on paper, capturing a landscape rich with symbolic potential. The mountain itself, a primal form, has long resonated as a symbol of stability and spiritual ascent across cultures, from Mount Olympus to Mount Sinai. Notice how the sketch reduces the mountain to a simple, almost primal form. In earlier times, mountains were seen as the dwelling places of gods, a concept echoed in the ziggurats of ancient Mesopotamia, artificial mountains built to reach the divine. This echoes in how, even in this simple sketch, one might find resonance with the romantic concept of the sublime, a powerful force engaging viewers on a deep, subconscious level. The mountain form reappears, evolving across millennia. Ultimately, Avery's sketch reminds us that these elemental forms persist, transformed yet recognizable, bearing the weight of cultural memory.