Strange Bird 1953

Milton Avery created this color woodcut print, Strange Bird, in 1953. Avery was part of a generation of American artists who came of age in the interwar period. His work is known for its simplification of form and subtle use of color. In Strange Bird, a yellow bird is set against a black background. The bird has a somewhat awkward, almost comical presence. Avery’s lighthearted rendering of this bird contrasts with the traditional symbolic significance of birds. Birds are commonly used as metaphors for freedom, spirituality, or the soul. The “strange bird” may be about the artist’s own sense of not quite fitting in. Avery developed a style that set him apart from the mainstream art movements of his time. He once stated, "I try to construct a picture in which shapes, spaces, colors, form a set of relationships." While grounded in personal experience, Strange Bird speaks to broader themes of identity, individuality, and finding beauty in the unconventional. The print invites viewers to reflect on their own experiences of navigating a world that often demands conformity.