Plow Horses Near Stone Wall 1943

Milton Avery made this drawing of plow horses and a stone wall with ink on paper. You know, drawing, it’s all about mark-making, the feel of the pen in your hand, the push and pull of the line. It's a conversation. Here, the thin lines, almost scribbles, build up this whole scene, a rural landscape with a couple of horses in the foreground. The texture of the paper peeks through, adding to the immediacy, as if Avery just quickly dashed this off. Look at the way the lines defining the horses are so fluid and free, suggesting movement and weight without getting bogged down in details. Then, up in the mountains, a totally different feel - scratchy, chaotic marks that create depth and distance. The drawing is unfinished, more of a suggestion than a complete picture. It reminds me a bit of Guston's looser drawings, that same willingness to embrace imperfection. Art’s all about that, isn’t it? Not perfection, but the process, the questions, and leaving room for the viewer to fill in the blanks.