Charles Ephraim Burchfield (American, 1893-1967)
Night Landscape
Signed and dated "Chas Burchfield 1916" l.r., titled on a label from Kennedy Galleries, Inc., New York, affixed to the frame backing.
Ink, watercolor, and pencil on joined paper, 8 x 26 3/4 in. (20.3 x 68.0 cm), framed.
Condition: Paper with two vertical creases at center (suggesting it may be a book cover), scattered fainter creases (many vertical), rippling, two fox marks near center, dog-ear creases to lower corners, floated within the frame, not examined out of frame.
Provenance: Charles E. Burchfield Foundation, New York; Kennedy Galleries, Inc., New York, 1977; a private collection (acquired from the latter circa 2001); Christie's New York, Important American Paintings, Drawings, and Sculpture, November 30, 2011, Sale 2485, Lot 10; a private New England collection.
Exhibitions: Charles E. Burchfield at Kennedy Galleries: The Early Years 1915-1929, Kennedy Galleries, Inc., New York, October 13-November 12, 1977, cat. no. 3 (illus.).
N.B. Born and raised in Ohio, Charles Burchfield spent his youth exploring the woods and fields of his native state and documenting both the sights and sounds of nature in his sketchbooks. He maintained this devotion to the landscape surrounding him throughout his career. In this sketch of the Ohio countryside the darkness of night quietly overspreads the sky like a black cloak; but, by the horizon line, an arc of light covers and protects the landscape.
Estimate $10,000-15,000
Frame dimensions: 16 1/2 x 35 x 1 1/2 in.
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