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Lot Essay
Throughout his career Milton Avery frequently experimented with representations of the female form. In March with Golden Hair he depicted his daughter, March, in profile, looking down with her eyes mostly closed. In his signature style, Avery here used simple areas of highly saturated color to create a truly modern portrait of the young woman.
As is typical of Avery's mature technique, here he composed his composition with simple, flat, interlocking shapes. In his late works, including March with Golden Hair, Avery achieved a simplicity and integrity that he was searching for throughout his career. The artist referred to his idea of interlocking and simplifying forms in 1931, saying: "If I have left out the bridles or any other detail that is supposed to go with the horses, trees, or human figure, the only reason for the ommissions is that not only are these details unnecessary in the design, but their insertion would disorganize space in the canvas already filled in by some color or line." (as quoted in R. Hobbs, Milton Avery: The Late Paintings, New York, 2001, p. 51)
In 1951, Avery addressed this concept again: "I do not use linear perspective, but achieve depth by color -- the function of one color with another. I strip the design to essentials; the facts do not interest me as much as the essence of nature." (as quoted in Milton Avery: The Late Paintings, p. 51) In March with Golden Hair, Avery has captured not only the formal essence of the abstract components of his composition, but also the essence of his subject itself.
This painting will be included in Dr. Marla Price's forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the works of Milton Avery.
As is typical of Avery's mature technique, here he composed his composition with simple, flat, interlocking shapes. In his late works, including March with Golden Hair, Avery achieved a simplicity and integrity that he was searching for throughout his career. The artist referred to his idea of interlocking and simplifying forms in 1931, saying: "If I have left out the bridles or any other detail that is supposed to go with the horses, trees, or human figure, the only reason for the ommissions is that not only are these details unnecessary in the design, but their insertion would disorganize space in the canvas already filled in by some color or line." (as quoted in R. Hobbs, Milton Avery: The Late Paintings, New York, 2001, p. 51)
In 1951, Avery addressed this concept again: "I do not use linear perspective, but achieve depth by color -- the function of one color with another. I strip the design to essentials; the facts do not interest me as much as the essence of nature." (as quoted in Milton Avery: The Late Paintings, p. 51) In March with Golden Hair, Avery has captured not only the formal essence of the abstract components of his composition, but also the essence of his subject itself.
This painting will be included in Dr. Marla Price's forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the works of Milton Avery.