MILTON AVERY | Girl in Stocking Hat

Thomas Gibson Fine Arts, London
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1981

Colour: The colours in the catalogue description are fairly accurate, although the greens and pinks are lighter and brighter in the original. Condition: This work is in good condition. Very close inspection reveals a few unobtrusive media accretions in isolated places. Further close inspection reveals some networks of drying cracks throughout the composition, as well as a small network of cracking caused by an impact at the centre of the lower left quadrant. There are some faint stretcher bar marks along all four edges. Visible only when examined out of its frame is evidence of frame rubbing with some associated specks of loss and canvas fraying in places as well as a short tear to the extreme right upper edge. No restoration is apparent when examined under ultra violet light.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Painted in 1945, Girl in Stocking Hat represents an essential point in Milton Avery's career, in which he established his highly acclaimed, mature style. Avery, one of the most influential American modernists of the twentieth century, met famed French avant-garde art dealer Paul Rosenberg in 1944, who introduced him to modern European artists and their abstract ideals. Fuelled with inspiration and a new understanding of abstract representation, the artist's style underwent a dramatic change in the mid-1940s. Avery did however not mimic these European artists, but rather incorporated their influences into his style, culminating in important works such as Girl in Stocking Hat. Historian and curator Barbara Haskell has explained these influences: "Rosenberg's proclivity for taut structure and architectonic solidity encouraged Avery to emphasise these aspects of his work. He replaced the brushy paint application and graphic detailing that had informed his previous efforts with denser more evenly modulated areas of flattened colour contained with crisply delineated forms. The result was a more abstract interlocking of shapes and a shallower pictorial space than he had previously employed. Avery retained colour as the primary vehicle of feeling and expression, but achieved a greater degree of abstraction by increasing the parity between recognisable forms and abstract shapes" (Barbara Haskell, Milton Avery: Paintings from the Collection of the Neuberger Museum of Art, New York 1994, pp. 8-9).

In the present work Avery’s creative use of bold, contrasting colours and innovative absence of visual depth are evident. The sitting figure and the minimalistic setting are expressed in vivid hues, creating a conversation between line and shape. In 1952, the painter discussed his sophisticated use of colour, "I do not use linear perspective, but achieve depth by colour – the function of one colour with another. I strip the design to the essentials; the facts do not interest me as much as the essence of nature" (Milton Avery cited in: Robert Hobbs, Milton Avery: The Late Paintings, New York 2001, p. 51).

In Girl in Stocking Hat the titular stocking hat represents the most pronounced part of the motif, with its opaque, dark blue silhouette cut delightfully by stripes of dashing bright red. The character’s pale green coat, lavender shirt, and the rusty orange backdrop, not only manifest Avery’s skills as a colourist, but also adds a contemporary feel to the setting. The larger fields of colour further demonstrate a technique Avery perfected during this late part of his career; applying oil paint thinned with turpentine in thin washes to create subtly veiled layers. The face of the figure in Girl in Stocking Hat is on the other hand blank, with just thin schematic marks to suggest facial characteristics. This formal approach to the emotional side of human nature are evident in several seminal portraits by Avery, himself a quiet man in his life and work, though a pictorial poet of the highest order.