Small Mountain Town 1943

Milton Avery made this sketch of a small mountain town with what looks like graphite on paper. I love the immediacy of it. You can practically feel the artist quickly capturing the essence of the place, the mountains looming large, and the cluster of buildings nestled in the valley. The sketchy quality of the lines gives it a real sense of energy and movement. See how he uses these light, almost scribbled marks to suggest the forms of the houses and trees? It's like he's not trying to give us all the details, but rather, he's giving us the feeling of the town. There is a concentration of marks in the center that form what could be rooftops or the center of town; an intentional build up of lines in this area gives it a different weight. This piece reminds me a little bit of some of the early sketches of Guston. Both artists share a similar interest in simplifying forms and capturing the essence of a scene with just a few strokes. Avery's sketch embraces the beauty of imperfection and invites us to fill in the gaps with our own imaginations.