Acrobats

Working with watercolor and gouache (opaque watercolor) on paper inspired Avery to produce simplified, spontaneous, and fluid designs. He used these unpretentious materials to depict the subject of urban entertainment, and his Theater series focused on acrobats, jugglers, singers, and dancers. Seen against a dark background, the lithe bodies of a male and female performer, rendered in flat, curved forms, balance in poses that are both graceful and playful.