Rocky Shoreline
c. 1943
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
pen and blue ink on wove paper
Dimensions
overall: 19.8 x 25.8 cm (7 13/16 x 10 3/16 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Sally Michel Avery
Accession Number
2002.104.1.50
Art Historical Context
Milton Avery's *Rocky Shoreline*c. 1943) captures the rugged beauty of nature in a delicate drawing executed in pen and blue ink onove paper. Measuring just 19.8 x 25.8 cm, this work exemplifies Avery's modernist approach, where simplified forms and subtle tonal variations evoke the drama of a coastal scene. Created during World War II, it reflects Avery's enduring fascination with American landscapes, offering a quiet respite amid global turmoil. As a key figure in early 20th-century American modernism, Avery bridged European influences like Matisse with the emerging Abstract Expressionists,...
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...