Night Nude 1953

Milton Avery made this linocut, Night Nude, and it’s like he’s carving out a moment of quiet contemplation in ink. The texture is rugged; you can almost feel the gouge marks where he cut into the linoleum. The simple blue lines of the figure feel so delicate against the deep black of the night. Look at the way her body is outlined, it's almost like a constellation mirroring the stars above, reduced to their barest forms. The blocky blue of the pillow, is it a solid form or a cloud? Avery's work has this way of reducing things to their essence. It reminds me a little bit of Matisse, but with a distinctly American sensibility. And, like all good art, it leaves you with more questions than answers.