Fish
1953
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
lithograph in black on blue laid paper
Dimensions
sheet: 30.5 x 22.9 cm (12 x 9 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
1991.233.42
Art Historical Context
Milton Avery's *Fish* (1953) is a captivating lithograph that exemplifies the artist's distinctive modernist style, characterized by simplified forms and poetic abstraction. Rendered in bold black ink on vibrant blue laid paper, this print (30.5 x 22.9 cm) distills the subject to its essence, evoking a sense of contemplation amid the natural world. Avery, a pivotal figure in American art bridging realism and abstraction, often drew inspiration from everyday motifs like flora, fauna, and seascapes, influencing later generations including Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman. Lithography, the medium ...
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...