Fantail Pigeon 1953

Milton Avery made this Fantail Pigeon print in 1953. It’s a woodcut, so the process is about taking away, carving out everything that isn't the image. Here, Avery reduces the fantail pigeon to bold shapes, playing with positive and negative space. Look at how the grainy texture of the wood adds a kind of rawness and immediacy. The contrast between the dense black background and the stark white of the bird really makes it pop. The fantail itself almost looks like a fan, decorated with these zigzag lines. It’s almost architectural, like a building or a strange headdress. I find it interesting how Avery embraced simplicity, similar to what Matisse was doing with his cut-outs. He was all about paring things down to their essence and finding the poetry in everyday scenes. It’s an invitation to look at the world with fresh eyes. Art is always this conversation, right?