Study for "Bucolic Landscape" c. 1945

This is Milton Avery's pencil on paper, "Study for Bucolic Landscape." It's tricky to date this work exactly, but Avery’s career spanned a period of immense social and political change, from the Great Depression to the Civil Rights Movement. Here, we see the gentle outlines of a cow in a landscape, sketched with a humble and straightforward honesty. Avery's artistic journey placed him somewhat outside the dominant narratives of his time. Though a contemporary of the Abstract Expressionists, Avery charted his own course. This piece evokes a sense of quiet contemplation. Avery captures the emotional essence of the scene through the understated rendering. It’s as if Avery is showing us a world as much felt as seen, creating space for a personal connection. The figures and landscapes of Avery prompt us to consider our relationship to the natural world. It is an invitation to find beauty in simplicity, and to value the quiet moments of observation.