March Drawing
1943
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
pen and black ink on wove paper
Dimensions
overall: 20 x 12.8 cm (7 7/8 x 5 1/16 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Sally Michel Avery
Accession Number
2002.104.2.27
Art Historical Context
**March Drawing** by Milton Avery, created in 1943, invites visitors into the intimate world of this American modernist's sketchbook. Executed in pen and black ink on w paper, the modest 20 x 12.8 cm sheet (7 7/8 x 5 1/16 in.) exemplifies the directness of drawing as a medium—quick, expressive, and unadorned. During World War II, when grand narratives dominated art, Avery's works often captured quiet, personal moments, and this piece reflects his era's tension between everyday life and global upheaval. Avery (1885–1965), a precursor to Abstract Expressionism, blended European modernism with A...
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...