Lull in Summer Rain

(1893-1967)

Size: 13 1/2 x 19 1/2 inches (34.3 x 49.5 cm)
Medium: Watercolor
Signed and dated lower right: Charles Burchfield 1916
Why We Love It

Charles Ephraim Burchfield must have lived in the fantastical world of his own imagination and senses. Rather than depicting a bucolic landscape, he painted the aura of that landscape. In this work, the rainstorm is the energizing force. The sky and darkened clouds are the focus of the scene and the small house is dominated by the overwhelming power of nature. Burchfield, in his deeply personal way, illuminates the essence of moments like a “Lull in Summer Rain.”

The Value

Charles Ephraim Burchfield’s works from this early period (1916) are fantastical and almost child-like. He often said that his career as an artist began in 1915, when the ideas that formed the basis for his art and visualizing concepts directly from nature rather than in the studio, took root. “Lull in summer Rain” is a wonderful example of the art that was created from this energetic and transformative time in the artist’s life. This work is in exceptionally fine condition and is museum mounted and framed.