March on the Beach
Artist
Milton Avery
(American, 1885 - 1965)
Date1947
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions36 x 28 in.
ClassificationsOil Painting
Credit LineGift of Evangeline Zalstem-Zalessky
Terms
Object number1959.09
DescriptionAt first glance Avery’s figures and use of color appear childlike in their simplicity. In this portrait of his teenage daughter March, he reduces what was probably a detail-rich scene to a few essential shapes and hues using an approach known as figural abstraction. Distracting detail is eliminated, allowing sophisticated relationships between color, shape, and line to be revealed. In his work, Avery diligently explored these universal elements that underlie our visual experience of the world. He ranks as an innovator in American art who inspired subsequent generations of American colorists, such as Mark Rothko and Adolph Gottlieb.Similar works are on view in the Gallery devoted to the First Half of the 20th Century.
On View
On view
