Silly Hen
1953
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
carved woodblock
Dimensions
block: 6.19 × 14.45 cm (2 7/16 × 5 11/16 in.)
Classification
Technical Material
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
1991.233.121
Art Historical Context
Visitors to the National Gallery of Art are delighted *Silly Hen*, a carved woodblock created by American modernist Milton Avery in 1953. Measuring just 6.19 × 14.45 cm, this petite block captures Avery's signature whimsical spirit through its playful title and likely simplified, stylized depiction of a hen—a nod to his love for everyday subjects rendered with flattened forms and subtle humor. Avery (1885–1965), a pivotal figure bridging Impressionism and Abstract Expressionism, influenced artists like Mark Rothko with his bold color harmonies and economical shapes, often seen in his paintings...
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...