Dancer
1954
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
color woodcut on wove paper
Dimensions
image: 30.3 x 24.6 cm (11 15/16 x 9 11/16 in.) sheet: 45.1 x 30.6 cm (17 3/4 x 12 1/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of the Avery Family, in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art
Accession Number
1991.233.73
Art Historical Context
Milton Avery's *Dancer* (1954) captures the graceful energy of its subject through a vibrant color woodcut on wove paper. Measuring 30.3 x 24.6 cm for the image and slightly larger for the sheet, this intimate print showcases Avery's signature modernist style—flat planes of bold color and simplified forms that echo Fauvism while prefiguring Abstract Expressionism. As a master of both painting and printmaking, Avery distilled the dancer's poise into rhythmic lines and harmonious hues, inviting viewers to feel the movement. Printed via the labor-intensive woodcut technique, where separate block...
About the Artist
Milton Avery
Milton Avery, born on March 7, 1885, in Altmar, New York, to a working-class family—his father a tanner—grew up in modest circumstances. After his family's move to the Hartford area of Connecticut in 1898, he took on various manual jobs, including as a mechanic, clerk, and construction worker, to support himself and relatives following family tragedies. His artistic path began around 1905 at the C...