Vermont Landscape 1943

Milton Avery made this pen and ink sketch, titled "Vermont Landscape," directly in a sketchbook, so you can see the immediacy of the moment. He's using blue ink, a color that gives a feeling of coolness to the Vermont hills. Avery's process here is all about the line, layering strokes to build up tone and texture. Look at the scribbled marks that form the grassy foreground, and then move up to the more defined hatching in the hills. The lines create a sense of volume and depth, but there’s also something unfinished about the image. The inscription ‘blue grey clouds’ at the top adds to the feeling that this is a fleeting impression, captured in a brief moment. Avery's work reminds me a little bit of Marsden Hartley, especially in its simplified forms and emphasis on color. But Avery brings something unique: an almost childlike simplicity that still manages to capture the complexity of the landscape. He shows how even the simplest means can convey so much.