Gray Sea 1963

Milton Avery created "Gray Sea" as a drawing on a sheet during a time of significant social and political change, including the Civil Rights Movement. Avery was deeply engaged with the natural world, and although his style is abstract, you can still sense his profound connection to specific places and moments. Avery developed a simplified palette with blocks of color which were inspired by the vividness of Matisse and the abstraction of Marin. In “Gray Sea”, the rough marks of the grey crayon create a dense texture, a weightiness that suggests the cool dampness of the shore. There is the pale flat pink of what could be a beach, the scribble of green for dune grass, but mostly this drawing is about the gray sea. Avery, who spent summers on the coasts of Maine and Massachusetts, was interested in capturing the feeling of a place rather than its literal appearance. In his own words, "Why talk when you can paint?"—Avery preferred to express his experiences through the act of creation. This piece evokes a sense of solitude. It invites reflection on our relationship with nature, and how we seek solace and inspiration from it.