Charles BurchfieldAmerican, 1893–1967The Sunflower Arch
May one see it?
Not receiving at present
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the work
At the time he made this drawing, Burchfield had begun to develop a personal symbolic language, which he called “Conventions for Abstract Thoughts.” Using simple forms, such as the arched shape of the flowers seen here, he aimed to communicate universal emotions—in this case, “Mute Sorrow.” Burchfield saw a connection between this mood and sunflowers, which were among his favorite subjects. He often depicted them anthropomorphically, suggesting either open eyes or, as here, slumped human forms—as he described, “giv[ing] a sense of pre-autumnal melancholy in early September.”
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Particulars
- Accession number
- 1965.461
In the catalog
Sources
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Image: The Cleveland Museum of Art — Reproduced with permission from the Charles E. Burchfield Foundation
