SOLD Ancient Maples in August, 1957

by Charles Burchfield (1893–1967)
Sold
Watercolor, charcoal, and crayon on joined paper laid down on board
16¾ x 21¾ inches
Estate stamp lower right

SOLD

Provenance

Frank K. M. Rehn Gallery, New York, New York

William Zierler, Inc., New York, New York, by 1970

Kennedy Galleries, New York, New York

James William Glanville and Nancy Hart Glanville, Houston, Texas, acquired from above, 1980

Private collection, by descent from above

Sale, Christie’s, New York, New York, November 16, 2021, lot 5

Literature

Joseph Trovato, Charles Burchfield: Catalogue of Paintings in Public and Private Collections (Utica, NY: Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, 1970), 268, no. 1152.

Menconi + Schoelkopf, “Becoming Burchfield,” Now Modern (Spring 2022): 40–41.

 

Note: A photograph of this work is included in the Burchfield Penney Art Center Archives.[1]

In a journal entry dated August 3, 1957, Burchfield describes how the late summer heat has affected the landscape of western New York:

Like driving thru an oven – The terribly bright white sunlight reflected up from the parched fields was very dazzling.

The drought more severe further east–and the effects weirdly beautiful grass – Fields of ivory white, oats pale OY [orange yellow] ivory, or rich deep OY where it had been cut; pastures a light orange brown or buff tinged with olive– Groves of trees of various colors, all washed out – gray green, brown, yellow tan, or orange-yellow green, the leaves shriveled; and all lighter at the top, against a warm violet sky. Where water still persisted in streams or swamps, there grew startlingly green grass and other plants in contrast to the rest of the landscape –[2]

[1] “Ancient Maples in August,” Burchfield Penney Art Center at Buffalo State College, accessed 21 February 2022, https://burchfieldpenney.org/art-and-artists/artwork/object:v2014-0819-001-ancient-maples-in-august/

[2] Charles E. Burchfield, Journals, Vol. 58, August 3, 1957, 82–83, Burchfield Penney Art Center Archives.

Artist Biography

Watercolorist with Romantic Realist Vision of American Life

By Amy Spencer

Best known for his romantic watercolors, Burchfield developed a unique style, swinging between realism and fantasy, to express his profound respect for the American landscape.

I. Biography
II. Chronology
III. Collections
IV. Exhibitions
V. Memberships
VI. Notes
VII. Suggested Resources

I. Biography


Charles Ephraim Burchfield is celebrated for his visionary paintings of the American

Read More

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