Charles Ephraim Burchfield

Kennedy Galleries, Inc., New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above, 1976

New York, Kennedy Galleries, Inc., Charles Burchfield Watercolors: Visual Music, October 13 - November 13, 1976
Ohio, Columbus Museum of Art; Buffalo, New York, Burchfield-Penney Art Center; Washington, D.C, National Museum of American Art, The Paintings of Charles Burchfield: North by Midwest, March 1997 - January 1998

John Russell, "Thinking Big With Watercolors", The New York Times, Friday, October 22, 1976, illustrated
Kennedy Galleries, Inc., Charles Burchfield Watercolors: Visual Music, 1976, no. 9
John Ireland Howe Baur, The Inlander: Life and Work of Charles Burchfield, 1893-1971, Newark, Delaware, 1984, p. 96, 98, fig. 72, illustrated
Nannette V. Maciejunes and Michael Hall, The Paintings of Charles Burchfield: North by Midwest, 1997, p. 138, 263, pl. 8, illustrated

Watercolor on paper laid down on card. An approximately 2 inche tear on right edge, a small tear at upper edge right, a small area of loss at lower left edge and another at lower edge right. Hinged to mat with three archival hinges along top edge. In addition to our condition report, the following condition report has been added by Alvarez Fine Art Services, Inc. (10/1/14), an outside, independent restorer: Overall this watercolor on paper is in good condition. There are two hinges at the verso top edge. The paper is supported to a thin acidic card stock. There is one mended 2 1/2" long tear at right lower center edge. One small 1/2" insert is installed at the bottom right edge. Visually, the paper is mildly oxidized throughout from contact with acidic material and a natural process of aging due to UV light exposure. One spot of foxing is noticeable in the upper image. Darkened edges show that the pigment has been affected by the light and has been slightly diminished. We see no need to disturb this work and therefore do not recommend any treatment at this time.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

For a short time, following a period of military service at a training camp in South Carolina in 1918, Burchfield completed a series of sad, haunted, and almost surreal works, many of which he eventually destroyed in 1933.  By the end of 1919, however, Burchfield was revived and newly inspired by his surrounds, exclaiming at first snow: “The world is new – the first snowfall is always the first the world ever had … At noon looking out the back window at a redbird.  The endless joy of watching snow fall; the old grape arbor, the dead bush, the crude yellow and red houses - how good it seems they exist … What poetry in even a window or chimney or a gable” (John Ireland Howe Baur, 1984, p. 96).  Flower Pot in Window, painted from the artist's bedroom in his Salem, Ohio home, exemplifies Burchfield’s newfound humor.