Plow Horses Near Stone Wall 1943

Milton Avery made this drawing of plow horses near a stone wall with ink on paper. You can almost hear the scratching of Avery’s pen as it zips across the page, creating a world from just a few lines. I can imagine Avery standing there, sketchbook in hand, quickly trying to capture the scene before him. Look how the animals and landscape emerge from a flurry of marks, each one describing form, light, and movement. There’s a real sense of immediacy, a feeling like you're right there with him, watching the horses as they stand patiently in the field. Avery’s work always felt like a conversation. He took the lessons of the past – the expressive lines of Matisse, for instance – and made them entirely his own. He wasn’t afraid to be simple, to strip things down to their essence. And in that simplicity, he found a kind of profound beauty. That's what I strive for, too.