Wooded Landscape 1943

Milton Avery made this landscape drawing with pencil on paper. Avery simplifies the scene into a series of gestural marks; it's all about feeling and movement. Look at the tree on the left. See how Avery uses vertical lines to suggest its trunk, and then these quick, choppy strokes for the foliage? The lines aren’t trying to mimic nature, but to describe the experience of looking at nature. The texture in this drawing is so alive, as though the wind is rustling through the trees, and the grass is swaying. It reminds me of some of Guston’s nervous, flickering marks. Avery's known for his paintings, but seeing this drawing gives you a peek into his process and how he abstracts form. It's like art is this ongoing conversation. One artist whispers something, and another picks it up and shouts it back in their own way.