Charles E. Burchfield

Charles Ephraim Burchfield (April 9, 1893 – January 10, 1967) was an American painter and visionary artist. He was best known for his beautiful watercolors of nature scenes and townscapes. His artwork showed great passion and imagination, capturing everyday moments in a special way.

The largest collection of Burchfield's paintings, along with his archives and journals, can be found at the Burchfield Penney Art Center in Buffalo. His works are also part of the collections in more than 109 museums across the USA. Many famous art museums, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Hammer Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art, have showcased his paintings in exhibitions. His art continues to be admired and studied by many people around the world.

Life

Born in Ashtabula, Ohio, Burchfield grew up in Salem, Ohio with his mother. Many of his early paintings were created in the house where he lived from age five to 28, which is now a museum. He loved reading about nature and enjoyed the writings of Thoreau and Willa Cather, and later, stories by Finnish writers.

Burchfield finished his studies at the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1916. He was inspired by his teacher, Henry Keller, who was part of the Cleveland School of watercolor painters. In 1921, he moved to Buffalo, New York to work for a wallpaper company and married Bertha Kenreich in Greenford, Ohio the next year. Even when hard times came during the Great Depression, he kept selling his paintings. Later, he became a member of the National Academy of Design. He spent most of his life in the quiet area of Gardenville in West Seneca, New York, and was buried in Oakwood Cemetery in East Aurora, New York.

Work

According to Burchfield's friend and colleague Edward Hopper, his work was deeply connected to real life and the world he knew and loved. Recent descriptions call him a painter of mysterious and magical landscapes, trees that seem to glow, and old houses that feel special. Jerry Saltz said his work shows the influence of artists like van Gogh, Caspar David Friedrich, Marsden Hartley, and John Marin, as well as simple, everyday kinds of art. Like Hopper, he did not use styles from cubism in his paintings.

Process

Charles Burchfield loved painting with watercolors and used this style only, which was different from other artists. He stood at an easel and used a special "dry brush" method with very little water on machine-made paper. He would sometimes change his paintings years later.

Burchfield believed watercolors were strong and beautiful, even though many people thought they were fragile. He thought if handled and displayed properly, watercolors could stay bright and lively. Today, museums show watercolors like Burchfield’s with special lighting to keep them looking their best.

Art periods

Charles Burchfield's artwork is usually divided into three different periods. In the first period, he painted pictures of people and scenes from small towns. He also created abstract paintings that showed feelings, sometimes sad or worried ones. In these early works, he used special strokes to show sounds like insects and cicadas, and he gave flowers and houses faces.

In his middle period, from 1919 to 1943, Burchfield painted scenes of small towns and industries. These paintings looked strong and solid, even though they were watercolors. During this time, he was able to make a living from his art.

In his last period, starting in 1943, Burchfield went back to painting nature in a big, dreamy way. He used swirling strokes and bright colors to show how people long ago saw gods and spirits in nature.

Legacy

The Charles Burchfield Center at Buffalo State College was dedicated in his honor in 1966. It was later renamed The Burchfield Art Center in 1983 and then became The Burchfield Penney Art Center after receiving many gifts of art works.

The Charles E. Burchfield Nature & Art Center in West Seneca, New York is also named after him. This 29-acre center includes gardens, nature trails, and a large playground.

Four of Burchfield’s paintings appear on the cover of author Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead series. Some modern painters are said to have been inspired by Burchfield’s unique style.

Collections

Charles E. Burchfield's artwork is held in many famous museums around the world. The Burchfield Penney Art Center in Buffalo, New York, has the biggest collection of his paintings and related items.

His paintings can be found in over 109 museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Museum of Modern Art, among many others.