Mother and Child 1933

Milton Avery made this print, Mother and Child, using an etching technique. The lines are direct, almost hesitant, and make for an image that feels simultaneously solid and dissolving. It really speaks to artmaking as a process of revealing a scene, rather than rendering it. Look at the way Avery uses cross-hatching to create depth and shadow. It’s like he’s building the forms out of tiny little scratches. This adds a subtle texture to the surface, making it feel almost tactile. The figures are weighty without being overwrought, there is no sense that they are idealized. In fact, if you look at the area around the child's torso, you can see how Avery changes his mind, using the crisscrossing lines to correct the shape as he goes. It's these imperfections that give the print its charm. I think of other printmakers like Mary Cassatt or Käthe Kollwitz when I see this. What Avery shares with them is a focus on everyday life, rendered with intimacy. Ultimately, this work is a reminder that art doesn't need to be perfect to be powerful.