View from the House
1943
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
graphite on wove paper
Dimensions
overall: 12.8 x 20 cm (5 1/16 x 7 7/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Sally Michel Avery
Accession Number
2002.104.2.45
Art Historical Context
Milton Avery's *View from the House* (1943) offers a serene glimpse into the artist's intimate connection with everyday landscapes. Created during World War II, this modest graphite drawing on wove paper captures a domestic vista with Avery's characteristic economy of line. Measuring just 12.8 x 20 cm, its small scale invites close contemplation, much like a personal sketchbook study. Wove paper, prized for its smooth texture, allowed Avery's precise graphite strokes to render subtle contours and spatial depth without the interruptions of laid paper's texture. Avery, a pivotal figure in Ameri...
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...