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Lot 114Property from the Estate of Dr. Gerald F. Ross
Milton Avery (1885-1965)
Stella in Red
Price Realised
USD 93,750
More Information
Specialist note
Painted in 1945, Stella in Red was executed in a year of great artistic inspiration for Milton Avery. Depicting a single figure relaxing within a vibrant interior, the present watercolor particularly exemplifies the artist's talent at expressing a mood of calm and serenity in his works of lone figures. As Barbara Haskell writes, "Avery's genius lay in his ability to portray moods that stimulate each viewer's consciousness on an almost archetypal level…In relinquishing the transitory and the specific, Avery bestowed on his subjects a suspended calm. Depictions of group activities…were replaced by a quality of separateness." (Milton Avery, New York, 1982, pp. 161, 164)
The colorfully bright palette seen in Stella in Red is typical of Avery's works from this period, as is his rendering of the figure through a strict, plastic two-dimensional design. In the present work, he simplifies the woman and the objects while invigorating them through his sophisticated use of infused colors. "There are hazards in this approach to the figure, 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." (H. Kramer, Milton Avery: Paintings, 1920-1960, New York, 1962, pp. 17-19)
In Stella in Red, Avery creates tension and balance by painting varying shades of color, dynamic shapes and intricate patterns. Stella herself is executed largely using the white of the exposed paper and minimal charcoal outlines. The rug on which she rests her feet is created through a similar technique, yet with Avery’s characteristic wavy decoration. Balancing these neutral areas, Avery uses bold oranges in the background and floral-patterned sofa, hints of blue and yellow and, of course, the titular red dress to enliven the composition. In similar fashion, Avery also contrasts the shapes of the scene; more fussy outlines for the table, stool and couch contrast with the natural, curving form of the figure’s body. Adding further visual interest are the quirky figurine and floral arrangement, which lend a sense of individual personality to the otherwise anonymous scene.
Depicting a woman casually relaxing within this nuanced interior environment, Stella in Red masters Avery's hallmark technique of contrasting patterns and shapes in bright colors, which lends an expressive serenity to the works from the height of his career.
The colorfully bright palette seen in Stella in Red is typical of Avery's works from this period, as is his rendering of the figure through a strict, plastic two-dimensional design. In the present work, he simplifies the woman and the objects while invigorating them through his sophisticated use of infused colors. "There are hazards in this approach to the figure, 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." (H. Kramer, Milton Avery: Paintings, 1920-1960, New York, 1962, pp. 17-19)
In Stella in Red, Avery creates tension and balance by painting varying shades of color, dynamic shapes and intricate patterns. Stella herself is executed largely using the white of the exposed paper and minimal charcoal outlines. The rug on which she rests her feet is created through a similar technique, yet with Avery’s characteristic wavy decoration. Balancing these neutral areas, Avery uses bold oranges in the background and floral-patterned sofa, hints of blue and yellow and, of course, the titular red dress to enliven the composition. In similar fashion, Avery also contrasts the shapes of the scene; more fussy outlines for the table, stool and couch contrast with the natural, curving form of the figure’s body. Adding further visual interest are the quirky figurine and floral arrangement, which lend a sense of individual personality to the otherwise anonymous scene.
Depicting a woman casually relaxing within this nuanced interior environment, Stella in Red masters Avery's hallmark technique of contrasting patterns and shapes in bright colors, which lends an expressive serenity to the works from the height of his career.