Bather on a Bank of Rocks 1943

Milton Avery created this pen and ink drawing, "Bather on a Bank of Rocks," sometime during his lifetime. Avery came of age during a period of great social and political change in the United States, including the Great Depression and the rise of Modernism. Here, the bather is alone and seemingly vulnerable in nature. The gestural lines of the rocks give the landscape a sense of dynamism, contrasting with the stillness of the bather. Avery, who was deeply committed to social justice and equality, may have used the bather as a way to explore themes of gender, identity, and the relationship between the individual and the environment. Avery once said, "I try to construct a picture in which shapes, spaces, colors, form a set of unique relationships, independent of any subject matter. At the same time I try to capture and translate the excitement and emotion aroused in me by the subject." The drawing reflects both personal emotion and broader societal issues. It invites us to consider how individual experiences are shaped by the world around us.