Mountain Road 1943

"Mountain Road" is a small sketch made with graphite on paper by Milton Avery. Avery, born in 1885, came of age in an art world dominated by representation, yet he was part of the generation that ushered in the rise of abstraction. Despite the modernist context, Avery maintained a commitment to everyday subject matter. His landscapes and scenes of leisure offer a glimpse into the cultural values of the middle class during the early to mid-20th century. It is tempting to read these works as celebratory, yet Avery’s flattening of perspective and use of attenuated lines also hint at the anxiety and alienation beneath the surface. I’m especially drawn to the quiet stillness in “Mountain Road.” Avery captures not just a scene, but a mood. I wonder, what does this scene evoke in you?