Genius Loci: Burchfield's Spirits of Place 1921-1943

Growing up in Ohio, Charles Ephraim Burchfield (1893-1967) had the myriad details of its landscape indelibly imprinted in his mind. Not satisfied with simply documenting his favorite countryside vistas, small-town eccentricities, and disturbing industrial blight, he revealed the true spirit of the places he painted. His perspective was not passive. Instead, he endeavored to paint lively images that could stimulate several senses, condensing a span of time into each work—from the quick flash of lightning to a day’s meander through the woods. The character of each place was distinctive, capturing the magic of its essence.

This exhibition reflects the range of Burchfield’s artworks, from wallpaper designs and prints to masterful paintings produced between 1921, when he moved to Buffalo, until a turning point in 1943, when at the age of 50 he experimented with yet another great stylistic change.