The Scribe - Page 6

Who is Charles E. Burchfield? Charles E. Burchfield’s work is characterized not only by the paints he used, but also the images, sounds and emotions he evoked; feelings rumble like thunder through his art, often morphing the landscape below. Curator and head gardener at the Burchfield Homestead museum, Cheryl Mattevi described his unique style as “fantastical realism.” Burchfield’s work blends the scenery itself with everything it made him feel, capturing the world around him in a way that set him apart from other artists of his generation. Ohio Years Growing up in Salem, Ohio, Burchfield often used his hometown as a key source of inspiration. The watercolor artist painted forests and swamps that sat at the edge of town as well as storefronts and fields near his childhood home. The second-youngest of six children, Burchfield was the first to finish high school; graduating Salem High School in 1911 before attending the Cleveland Institute of Art where he studied everything from American modernism to Chinese and Japanese art. Mattevi added that Japanese picture scrolls, “emakimono”, also heavily influenced his art. The Scribe - Page 6 The Ohio-grown legacy of Charles E. Burchfield “He started to do these ‘all-day images’ where in one painting he’s trying to go from sunrise to sunset,” Mattevi said. After graduating from the institute in 1916, Burchfield returned to Salem. The “Golden Year” Burchfield referred to 1917 as his “Golden Year,” producing roughly 400 paintings over the single year. His 1917 paintings constitute nearly half of his portfolio across his entire career. Works from 1917 include “The Insect Chorus,” “Church Bells Ringing, Rainy Winter Night,” and “Childhood’s Garden.” Salem served as Burchfield’s inspiration throughout 1917 and later, the streets and forests of his childhood that never left him. Through art, Burchfield depicted the sounds of the scenery around him. He poured his emotions into his work, making them visible throughout the art. HISTORY By Camille Sipple