Studies of the Rocky Shore
c. 1943
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
pen and ink on wove paper
Dimensions
overall: 25.8 x 19.8 cm (10 3/16 x 7 13/16 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Sally Michel Avery
Accession Number
2002.104.1.43
Art Historical Context
Milton Avery's *Studies of the Rocky Shore* (c. 1943) captures the rugged beauty of New England's coastline in a intimate pen and ink drawing onove paper. Measuring just25.8 x 19.8 cm, this modest sheet reveals the artist's keen observation of nature's textures—craggy rocks, tidal pools, and undulating waves—rendered with fluid, expressive lines. Avery, a pivotal American modernist (1885–1965), was renowned for his simplified forms and bold color planes in paintings, but here his preparatory sketches showcase his masterful draftsmanship, bridging realism and abstraction. Created during World ...
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...