Small Mountain Town 1943

Milton Avery made this drawing of a small mountain town with what looks like graphite on paper. I like how the mountains in the distance seem to mirror the sketch pad’s spiral binding at the top – it gives the composition a sense of depth and rhythm. Avery simplifies the landscape into a series of delicate lines and shapes, capturing the essence of a quiet, rural setting. I wonder, what might Avery have been thinking while drawing this? Was he trying to capture a fleeting moment, or perhaps exploring the basic forms of the landscape? This reminds me of the quick, intuitive sketches that artists often make to understand their subject. It’s as if Avery is having a conversation with the mountains and buildings, translating what he sees into a visual language of his own. It’s a reminder that art is often about the process of seeing and feeling, rather than just representing something exactly as it is.