Hammock Reader / Milton Avery

Access to this resource is restricted.

Actions

About this Item

Record Details

Accession Number
1974/2.37
Title
Hammock Reader
Artist
Milton Avery
Artist Nationality
American
Artist Life Dates
1885 - 1965
Medium and Support
oil on canvas
Object Creation Date
1951
Object Creation Place
North and Central America (continent)
United States (nation)
Creation Place 2
United States (nation)
Style/Group/Movement
Abstract
Inscription
Inscribed l.r.: Milton Avery 1951 Inscribed verso c.: "HAMMOCK READER" / by / Milton Avery / 1951 / 26 x 42
Dimensions
66.3 cm x 106.6 cm (26 1/8 in. x 41 15/16 in.)
Century
20th century
Primary Object Classification
Painting
Primary Object Type
abstract
Physical Description
Painting depicting a featureless female figure, in tones of aqua and light blue extending across the center of the canvas in a light gray hammock. There is a bright white shape, perhaps a book, in the middle of the figure. Behind the figure, the rest of the composition is organized in horizontal sections. At top, a yellow sky; below that are two gently-curved mountains in dark brown, followed by two horizontal planes of color in tan and light brown.
Subject Matter
The year this painting was painted, Avery spent the summer in Woodstock, NY with his wife, Sally, and their daughter, March, who is probably the reader in the hammock. This work marks Avery’s later period in which he drops any hint of outline, facial and ornamental detail and concentrates on shape, color and composition. He uses undercoats of color, building, layering and scratching to create depth. He uses muted color values and flat tones—he is concerned with surface qualities rather than density and volume. He emphasized the two-dimensionality of the picture plane and was interested in the inter-relation of color and shapes on a single plane.
Secondary Keywords
upward
attributes and properties
attributes and properties by specific type
buildings and the land
descriptors
european
european styles and periods
figures
form attributes
furnishings
furnishings by form or function
furniture
furniture by form or function
information artifacts
information artifacts by physical form
information forms
landforms
landforms and landform components
landforms by shape or position
landscapes (environments)
modern and contemporary art
modern european fine arts styles and movements
modern european styles and movements
natural landscapes
objects
objects we use
people and culture
people and occupations
physical activities
physical activities by general context
settlements and landscapes
sleeping and reclining furniture
styles and periods
styles and periods by region
visual works
visual works by subject type
Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Technical Details

Image Size
1289 x 863
File Size
65 KB
Record
1974/2.37
Link to this Item
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1974-sl-2.37/1974_2.37.jpg

Rights and Permissions

Portfolios

In public portfolios

Cite this Item

View the Help Guide for more information.

Full citation
"Hammock Reader; Milton Avery." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1974-sl-2.37/1974_2.37.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 28, 2024.
Do you have questions about this content? Need to report a problem? Please contact us.