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拍品专文
Among the most celebrated American watercolorists of the twentieth century, Charles Burchfield captured on paper the sensations of the natural world as filtered through his own emotional and symbolic associations. As in all of his best works, Pear Tree in September does not merely transcribe nature, but rather acts as a conduit to capture on paper its life force and unpredictability.
Depicting his neighbor’s pear tree in West Seneca, New York, the present work was given as a gift by the artist to his son and daughter-in-law, Charles Arthur and Violet Burchfield. In reference to the present work, Burchfield noted in his journal “Vi & Art’s picture” in the margin, citing this tender gesture. Burchfield continued, “after the small paintings I have been making, it seems large.” (Journals, vol. LI, October 17, 1949, p. 51)
According to John I.H. Baur, the present work, painted in 1949, belongs to a small series of watercolors that also included Goldenrod in December of 1948 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York). These watercolors “are not much like his nature painting of the middle years, being much freer and imbued with a quality that fairly sings. The color is more varied, ranging from the rich blue and gold harmonies of summer to the pale grays and browns of winter. While they are primarily realistic in intention...[there are] certain passages of patterned branches and foliage, which are almost abstract. These are like vivid accents integrated in the whole scheme, and they give the pictures a new measure of vitality.” (Charles Burchfield, exhibition catalogue, New York, 1956, n.p.) Such swirling forms constitute the foliage that dominates the present work, adding movement to the scene. Burchfield effortlessly captures a strong September wind reflective of the constant dynamism of the natural world.
Indeed, as the present work emphasizes, when Burchfield paints, “Nature is never still, never quiet, never lit by the sun with a sameness that lasts a second.” (G. Davenport, Charles Burchfield’s Seasons, San Francisco, California, 1994, p. XI) The drama of each form is heightened by the expressive use of color combined with Burchfield’s characteristic bold, calligraphic patterns and synesthetic evocations. Elevated by reverberating brushwork that echoes the sounds and rhythms of nature, Pear Tree in September is quintessentially Burchfield, paying homage to the ever-changing world that inspired him.
Depicting his neighbor’s pear tree in West Seneca, New York, the present work was given as a gift by the artist to his son and daughter-in-law, Charles Arthur and Violet Burchfield. In reference to the present work, Burchfield noted in his journal “Vi & Art’s picture” in the margin, citing this tender gesture. Burchfield continued, “after the small paintings I have been making, it seems large.” (Journals, vol. LI, October 17, 1949, p. 51)
According to John I.H. Baur, the present work, painted in 1949, belongs to a small series of watercolors that also included Goldenrod in December of 1948 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York). These watercolors “are not much like his nature painting of the middle years, being much freer and imbued with a quality that fairly sings. The color is more varied, ranging from the rich blue and gold harmonies of summer to the pale grays and browns of winter. While they are primarily realistic in intention...[there are] certain passages of patterned branches and foliage, which are almost abstract. These are like vivid accents integrated in the whole scheme, and they give the pictures a new measure of vitality.” (Charles Burchfield, exhibition catalogue, New York, 1956, n.p.) Such swirling forms constitute the foliage that dominates the present work, adding movement to the scene. Burchfield effortlessly captures a strong September wind reflective of the constant dynamism of the natural world.
Indeed, as the present work emphasizes, when Burchfield paints, “Nature is never still, never quiet, never lit by the sun with a sameness that lasts a second.” (G. Davenport, Charles Burchfield’s Seasons, San Francisco, California, 1994, p. XI) The drama of each form is heightened by the expressive use of color combined with Burchfield’s characteristic bold, calligraphic patterns and synesthetic evocations. Elevated by reverberating brushwork that echoes the sounds and rhythms of nature, Pear Tree in September is quintessentially Burchfield, paying homage to the ever-changing world that inspired him.