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Lot Essay
Untitled (Nude on Bed) is a fresh and modern interpretation of the traditional subject of the reclining female that manifests Milton Avery's unique integration of European and American influences. Avery takes a traditional subject and simplifies the composition using a modern approach. In his own words, "I work on two levels. I try to construct a picture in which shapes, spaces, colors form a set of unique relationships, independent of any subject matter. At the same time I try to capture and translate the excitement and emotion aroused in me by the impact with the original idea." (as quoted in R. Hobbs, Milton Avery, New York, 1990, p. 172)
In Untitled (Nude on Bed) Avery utilizes simplified planes of tan, pink, black, white and gray, setting them against one another to create visual complexity and a flattened pictorial space. These shapes of color are balanced by the hard lines used to define the areas of the window and bed, which have been juxtaposed with smooth, fluid lines used to outline the figure. In Untitled (Nude on Bed), Avery characteristically renders his figure through a strict, plastic two-dimensional design. "There are hazards in this approach to the figure," writes Hilton Kramer, "but Avery has somehow side-stepped the greatest of these, namely, a sense of fixity that would deprive his figures of animation. The characteristic attitude of Avery's figures is one of relaxation and repose. His women--most of his figures are female--read, carry on conversation, talk on the telephone, lie on the beach, or sit around daydreaming. They project a presence that, however disinterested, is far removed from the pictorial stasis that the artist's method might seem to hold in store for them. The reason, of course, is that Avery's color imparts an emotional drama, a weight of emphasis and nuance, that recapitulates on the level of retinal sensation whatever graphic complexities have eliminated in the process." (Milton Avery: Paintings 1930-1960, New York, 1962, pp. 17-19) In Untitled (Nude on Bed), Avery omits extraneous detail and replaces it with suggestive sgraffito and dry, coarse brushwork to create patterning. Here, the artist has used his signature technique of scratching the surface of the paint for texture, pairing the smoothness of the figure with the textured bed linens beneath her. This work is a mastery of Avery's use of colors, shapes and patterns that contrast and balance each other to form a cohesive composition.
Avery's thoroughly modern approach to the traditional subject of the nude represented by Untitled (Nude on Bed) marks a pivotal juncture in the artist's career and the establishment of a new foundation for pictorial exploration, which would determine the stylistic trajectory of the remainder of his career.
In Untitled (Nude on Bed) Avery utilizes simplified planes of tan, pink, black, white and gray, setting them against one another to create visual complexity and a flattened pictorial space. These shapes of color are balanced by the hard lines used to define the areas of the window and bed, which have been juxtaposed with smooth, fluid lines used to outline the figure. In Untitled (Nude on Bed), Avery characteristically renders his figure through a strict, plastic two-dimensional design. "There are hazards in this approach to the figure," writes Hilton Kramer, "but Avery has somehow side-stepped the greatest of these, namely, a sense of fixity that would deprive his figures of animation. The characteristic attitude of Avery's figures is one of relaxation and repose. His women--most of his figures are female--read, carry on conversation, talk on the telephone, lie on the beach, or sit around daydreaming. They project a presence that, however disinterested, is far removed from the pictorial stasis that the artist's method might seem to hold in store for them. The reason, of course, is that Avery's color imparts an emotional drama, a weight of emphasis and nuance, that recapitulates on the level of retinal sensation whatever graphic complexities have eliminated in the process." (Milton Avery: Paintings 1930-1960, New York, 1962, pp. 17-19) In Untitled (Nude on Bed), Avery omits extraneous detail and replaces it with suggestive sgraffito and dry, coarse brushwork to create patterning. Here, the artist has used his signature technique of scratching the surface of the paint for texture, pairing the smoothness of the figure with the textured bed linens beneath her. This work is a mastery of Avery's use of colors, shapes and patterns that contrast and balance each other to form a cohesive composition.
Avery's thoroughly modern approach to the traditional subject of the nude represented by Untitled (Nude on Bed) marks a pivotal juncture in the artist's career and the establishment of a new foundation for pictorial exploration, which would determine the stylistic trajectory of the remainder of his career.