Birds by Blue Sea 1950

Milton Avery made this watercolor, "Birds by Blue Sea," on paper sometime in the mid-20th century, an era when American artists felt free to explore abstraction. Avery, in his own way, challenged the dominance of academic art. You see how the birds are depicted in a way that favors a feeling over realistic rendering. This wasn't just about aesthetics. After the Second World War, the US art world was trying to define itself, seeking a unique voice distinct from European traditions. Avery, with his simplified forms and focus on color, contributed to a distinctly American modernism. To understand Avery’s contribution, we can look at how art institutions were evolving. Museums and galleries began to champion American artists, creating space for innovation outside traditional styles. Studying exhibition catalogs and critical reviews from that time can reveal how Avery and his contemporaries reshaped our understanding of what art could be.