The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 23, 2024

Study No. 1 for: Church Bells Ringing, Rainy Winter Night

Study No. 1 for: Church Bells Ringing, Rainy Winter Night

1917
(American, 1893–1967)
America, 20th century
gray/black wash, pen and black ink, and black and color crayons, with graphite and watercolor
Sheet: 36.8 x 21.2 cm (14 1/2 x 8 3/8 in.)
Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund 1953.429
Reproduced with permission from the Charles E. Burchfield Foundation
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Barely visible, two figures look out the window of the house on the left, standing near a Christmas tree that symbolized Burchfield's favorite holiday.

Description

Burchfield drastically altered the church spire in this study for his 1917 watercolor Church Bells Ringing, Rainy Winter Night. Here, the tower takes on a wider, more open appearance than in the final drawing. The artist wrote in his private journal for December 1917 that he “wandered between the Baptist and Presbyterian church to hear the bells ring. I ran back to one too late—the other I arrived at in time to hear the last ponderous beats—the whole tower seemed to vibrate with a dull roar afterwards, dying slowly with a growl.”
  • 1917-1953
    Charles Burchfield [1893-1967], Buffalo, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    1953-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • De Grazia, Diana. "The Evolution of a Collection: Drawings in Cleveland." Master Drawings 38, no. 3 (Autumn 2000): 249-260. Mentioned: p. 258; Reproduced: p. 257
    Prasse, Leona E. "An Exhibition of the Drawings of Charles E. Burchfield." Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art (November 1953): 203. Mentioned: p. 203
    Prasse, Leona E. The Drawings of Charles E. Burchfield. Exh. Cat. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art,1953. Mentioned: no. 30; Reproduced: plate I
    Townsend, J. Benjamin. An American Visionary: Watercolors and Drawings of Charles E. Burchfield. Exh. Cat. Boston: Athenæum, 1986. Mentioned: no. 50
    Trovato, Joseph S. The Nature of Charles Burchfield: A Memorial Exhibition, 1893–1967, Paints, Drawings, Prints. Exh. Cat. Utica, NY: Museum of Art, Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, 1970. Mentioned: no. 309
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 613 archive.org
    Chassey, Éric de. Made in USA l'art américain, 1908-1947 : [exposition] Bordeaux, musée des Beaux-Arts, 10 octobre-31 décembre 2001, Rennes, musée des Beaux-Arts, 18 janvier-31 mars 2002, Montpellier, musée Fabre, 12 avril-23 juin 2001 [i.e. 2002]. Paris: Réunion des musées nationaux, 2001. Reproduced: p. 165
    Robinson, William H., Kathleen McKeever, "And All That Jazz", Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine. Vol. 44 no. 05, May 2004 Mentioned & reproduced: 4-5 archive.org
  • Charles Burchfield: The Ohio Landscapes, 1915–1920. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 22, 2018-May 5, 2019).
    Burchfield to Schreckengost: Cleveland Art of the Jazz Age. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 28-July 18, 2004).
    Made in U.S.A., l'art américain, 1908-1943, entre nationalisme et internationalisme [FRAME]. Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rennes, Rennes, France (January 17-March 31, 2002).
    An American Visionary: Watercolors and Drawings of Charles E. Burchfield. Currier Museum of Art; Berkshire Museum; Boston Athenaeum (March 20-May 16, 1986).
    The Nature of Charles Burchfield: A Memorial Exhibition, 1893–1967, Paints, Drawings, Prints. Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, Utica, NY (organizer) (April 3-June 14, 1970).
    Department of Prints and Drawings Opening Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (March 3, 1958-October 11, 1959).
    Charles Burchfield Retrospective Exhibition. Whitney Museum of American Art (January 11-February 26, 1956); The Baltimore Museum of Art (March 14-April 22, 1956); Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (May 9-June 17, 1956); San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (July 11-August 19, 1956); Los Angeles County Museum of Art (September 5-October 14, 1956); The Phillips Collection (November 4-December 11, 1956); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (December 28, 1956-February 10, 1957).
    The Drawings of Charles E. Burchfield. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 4, 1953-January 10, 1954).
  • {{cite web|title=Study No. 1 for: Church Bells Ringing, Rainy Winter Night|url=false|author=Charles Burchfield|year=1917|access-date=23 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1953.429