March Wind

This painting seems to confirm Burchfield’s belief that “you cannot experience a landscape until you have known all its discomforts.” As he wrote in his journal: The March wind is Master…it sweeps along blending all these dissimilar things into one grand harmonious whole—I stand by the road listening to the March wind singing in the telephone & telegraph wires. It is wonderful to stand & listen— I become spellbound…. a harsh caw from a crow…and always the roar of the March wind, and the wild barbarous music of the wire and wood harp. Birds, particularly black crows, appear repeatedly in Burchfield’s art. They seem to symbolize his own dark broodings, especially when paired with trees. However, birds may not have been entirely negative elements to Burchfield, as they have the ability to fly away, achieving escape and release.