Opening September 16, 2017 at the Montclair Art Museum (MAM), Charles E. Burchfield: Weather Event is an exhibition of more than 40 of the renowned artist’s lyrical landscape watercolors and drawings that trigger the memories and moods inspired by weather and climate change. His works invite the viewer to experience through the artist’s eyes the environments in Ohio and New York south of Lake Erie. The exhibition will be on view through January 7, 2018.
Charles E. Burchfield (1893–1967), Sunburst, 1929–31, oil on canvas. The Charles Rand Penney Collection of Works by Charles E. Burchfield, 1994, 19994:001.052. Reproduced with permission from the Charles E. Burchfield Foundation and the Burchfield Penney Art Center.
Individual weather events are examined through both an artistic and a scientific lens. Weather refers to the state of the atmosphere for a given time and place, while climate is the sum of weather events that describes a place or region. Burchfield’s works capture both, with “all day sketches” conveying snapshots of past weather on specific days as well as later watercolors painted over a number of years conveying the character of a place.
Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967)
November Storm, 1950
Watercolor on paper
Burchfield Penney Art Center
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Sherlock A. Herrick, Jr., 2001
Reproduced with permission from the Charles E. Burchfield Foundation and the Burchfield Penney Art Center
Courtesy: The artist and Montclair Art Museum
The exhibition is organized around themes that inspired Burchfield: the sky, changing seasons, haloed moons, sunbursts and cloudbursts, heat waves, and wild weather. The works convey the artist’s emotional responses to the weather and his desire to portray the invisible aspects of nature, such as sounds and heat waves, by means of visible signs and symbols.
Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967)
July Sunlight Pouring Down, 1952
Watercolor on paper
On permanent loan to the Burchfield Penney Art Center
Reproduced with permission from the Charles E. Burchfield Foundation and the Burchfield Penney Art Center
Courtesy: The artist and Montclair Art Museum
“Burchfield saw nature as a source of spirituality and was especially awed by the changing of the seasons,” said Gail Stavitsky, MAM chief curator. “His works are a reminder that we constantly experience a glorious transformation of the seasons, and a celebration of the skies.”
Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967)
Fireflies and Lightning, (1964-65)
Watercolor, graphite and white conté crayon with masking tape on joined paper mounted on board
Burchfield Penney Art Center
Purchase made possible with funds from M&T Bank, an anonymous donor, William P. and A. Laura Brosnahan, the Vogt Family Foundation and the Margaret L. Wendt Foundation, 1998
Reproduced with permission from the Charles E. Burchfield Foundation and the Burchfield Penney Art Center
Fireflies and Lightning, (1964-65)
Watercolor, graphite and white conté crayon with masking tape on joined paper mounted on board
Burchfield Penney Art Center
Purchase made possible with funds from M&T Bank, an anonymous donor, William P. and A. Laura Brosnahan, the Vogt Family Foundation and the Margaret L. Wendt Foundation, 1998
Reproduced with permission from the Charles E. Burchfield Foundation and the Burchfield Penney Art Center
Courtesy: The artist and Montclair Art Museum
Charles E. Burchfield (1893–1967) was one of the great visionary modern painters of the 20th century. Burchfield started his artistic career at the Cleveland School of the Arts in 1915. His artistic influences include the stylized, simplified forms and vibrant colors in Japanese prints by Hokusai and Hiroshige, Chinese scroll paintings, and Cleveland modernists Henry Keller and William Sommer. Moving to Buffalo in 1921, Burchfield’s foray into realism at this time was inspired by what he saw as the uniquely American aspects and romantic picturesque qualities of Buffalo and its environs. In the 1940s, Burchfield returned to more abstract forms of his earlier landscapes, following this artistic vision until the end of his life.
Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967)
Early Spring Sunlight, 1950
Watercolor and charcoal on paper mounted on board
Burchfield Penney Art Center
Gift of Dr. Meyer H. and Ann S. Riwchun, 2000
Reproduced with permission from the Charles E. Burchfield Foundation and the Burchfield Penney Art Center
Courtesy: The artist and Montclair Art Museum
Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967)
Clearing Sky, July 1, 1917
Watercolor on paper
The Charles Rand Penney Collection of Works by Charles E. Burchfield, 1994
Reproduced with permission from the Charles E. Burchfield Foundation and the Burchfield Penney Art Center
Clearing Sky, July 1, 1917
Watercolor on paper
The Charles Rand Penney Collection of Works by Charles E. Burchfield, 1994
Reproduced with permission from the Charles E. Burchfield Foundation and the Burchfield Penney Art Center
Courtesy: The artist and Montclair Art Museum
“To me, the artist, interested chiefly in weather—all weather is beautiful, and full of powerful motion.” — Charles E. Burchfield, 1943
