October in the Woods
The changing seasons were a recurring theme in Burchfield's work, and his journal entries are filled with observations about the weather and color notations. One passage from 1938 mentions "the lurid October trees," while another from 1963 discusses a "glorious October day," when "the most satisfying of all fall colors are orange yellows, oranges, and all variations of these with warm tans and brown."
The overall composition of October in the Woods is constructed from eight separate pieces of paper, including one of Burchfield's 1938 watercolors. Painting almost seamlessly over and around this earlier work, the artist created a more expansive space filled with autumn trees, a reflecting pool, and explosive bursts that suggest the reverberating sounds of birds and insects in the forest.
The overall composition of October in the Woods is constructed from eight separate pieces of paper, including one of Burchfield's 1938 watercolors. Painting almost seamlessly over and around this earlier work, the artist created a more expansive space filled with autumn trees, a reflecting pool, and explosive bursts that suggest the reverberating sounds of birds and insects in the forest.
Artwork Details
- Title: October in the Woods
- Artist: Charles Ephraim Burchfield (American, Ashtabula Harbor, Ohio 1893–1967 West Seneca, New York)
- Date: 1938–63
- Medium: Watercolor, opaque watercolor, chalk, and charcoal on joined papers, mounted on paperboard
- Dimensions: 45 5/8 × 57 3/4 in. (115.9 × 146.7 cm)
- Classification: Drawings
- Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Howard Isermann, 1997
- Object Number: 1997.324
- Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art
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