Hen 1954

Milton Avery’s ‘Hen’ is a graphic print, with strong lines and a reduced palette of yellow and black. It's interesting to think about how the artist has used the tools and medium of printmaking to make an image of a hen. You can almost see Avery, carefully carving into the block, methodically working away the negative space around the hen, slowly revealing her shape. He probably thought hard about the balance between positive and negative forms and I wonder if he ever regretted taking away too much. He reduces the hen down to her simplest, most iconic form, a pure shape. Just look at that curve of her body, a fluid gesture! I can imagine him looking at that bird and slowly abstracting her form, reducing her to a bold silhouette. Painters are in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. This print reminds me of Henri Matisse’s cut-outs, where simple forms can communicate so much.