Old House and Elm Trees (Primary Title)
Charles E. Burchfield, American, 1893 - 1967 (Artist)
Throughout his long career as a painter, Burchfield looked closely at houses and depicted them as a frequent theme. And, to his imaginative eye, the houses stared back. "As we walk down a street," the artist mused in his journal, "we have the feelingthat the houses are looking at us; they glance up the street long before we come to them, and follow us brazenly as we go along." In this work, Burchfield pictures an imposing dwelling just after a soaking spring rain. Dominant gray hues convey a dreary, damp cold. Still, a gentle light breaks through thinning clouds, and a soft canopy of new leaves shimmers overhead, suggesting fairer skies to come.
As a youth in rural Ohio, Burchfield developed a flat decorative style to picture the sights, smells, and sounds of the natural world. In the 1930s, he came to prominence as an American scene watercolorist; this striking painting is representative of his work of that era. By midcentury, Burchfield had returned to painting rhapsodic nature-themed images, a passion he maintained through his final years.
As a youth in rural Ohio, Burchfield developed a flat decorative style to picture the sights, smells, and sounds of the natural world. In the 1930s, he came to prominence as an American scene watercolorist; this striking painting is representative of his work of that era. By midcentury, Burchfield had returned to painting rhapsodic nature-themed images, a passion he maintained through his final years.
Signed and dated, lower right corner: "CEB [artist's monogram] / 1933-40
Note: CEB is done in Burchfield's signature monogram
John Barton Payne Fund
Made in U.S.A.: l'Art Américain, 1908-1947, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Bordeaux, October 5 – December 31, 2001; Musée des Beaux-Arts, Rennes, January 17 – March 31, 2002; and Musée des Beaux-Arts, Montpellier, April 10 – June 25, 2002
The Nature of Charles Burchfield - A Memorial Exhibition, Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, Utica, NY, April 9 – June 14, 1970
Charles Burchfield: His Golden Year--A Retrospective Exhibition of Watercolors, Oils, and Graphics, Univeristy Art Gallery, The University of Arizona, Tuscon, AZ, November 14, 1965 - January 9, 1966
An Exhibition of Paintings by Charles Burchfield, Buffalo Historical Society, Buffalo, NY, October 14 - November 16, 1958
Special Loan Exhibition, Hollins College, Roanoke, Va., December 5 – 22, 1952; University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va., January 5 – February 3, 1953; Mary Washington College, Fredericksburg, Va., May 6 – 20, 1953
[No Title], Norfolk Museum of Arts & Sciences (now the Chrysler Museum of Art), 1947
Charles Burchfield: A Retrospective Exhibition of Watercolors and Oils, 1916 - 1943, The Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY, April 14 – May 15, 1944
American Prize Winners of Last Season, The Arts Club of Chicago, Chicago, IL, February 2 - 28, 1943
The Third Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary American Paintings, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Va., March 4 – April 14, 1942
The Nature of Charles Burchfield - A Memorial Exhibition, Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, Utica, NY, April 9 – June 14, 1970
Charles Burchfield: His Golden Year--A Retrospective Exhibition of Watercolors, Oils, and Graphics, Univeristy Art Gallery, The University of Arizona, Tuscon, AZ, November 14, 1965 - January 9, 1966
An Exhibition of Paintings by Charles Burchfield, Buffalo Historical Society, Buffalo, NY, October 14 - November 16, 1958
Special Loan Exhibition, Hollins College, Roanoke, Va., December 5 – 22, 1952; University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va., January 5 – February 3, 1953; Mary Washington College, Fredericksburg, Va., May 6 – 20, 1953
[No Title], Norfolk Museum of Arts & Sciences (now the Chrysler Museum of Art), 1947
Charles Burchfield: A Retrospective Exhibition of Watercolors and Oils, 1916 - 1943, The Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY, April 14 – May 15, 1944
American Prize Winners of Last Season, The Arts Club of Chicago, Chicago, IL, February 2 - 28, 1943
The Third Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary American Paintings, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Va., March 4 – April 14, 1942
©artist or artist’s estate
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