The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 20, 2024

Chestnut Trees

Chestnut Trees

1920
(American, 1893–1967)
America, 20th century
Pen and gray and black ink and gray and black wash with graphite on wove paper, lined
Sheet: 22.6 x 40.7 cm (8 7/8 x 16 in.)
Mr. and Mrs. Charles G. Prasse Collection 1981.209
Reproduced with permission from the Charles E. Burchfield Foundation
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Burchfield made this drawing while sketching in scenic areas near his hometown of Salem, Ohio.

Description

After serving in World War I, Charles Burchfield found it difficult to return to his watercolor practice and temporarily experimented with other media. He made this pair of drawings using a combination of finely drawn pen lines and thick areas of wash, diluted to produce a wide variation of tones. With these materials, Burchfield could record the texture and sculptural forms of trunks—the aspects of these trees, encountered near Little Beaver Creek on the Pennsylvania border, that interested him most.
  • 1920-1953
    Charles E. Burchfield [1893-1967], Buffalo, NY, sold to Leona E. Prasse, Cleveland, OH
    1953-1981
    Leona E. Prasse [1897-1985], Cleveland, OH, gift to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1981-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Prasse, Leona E. The Drawings of Charles E. Burchfield. Exh. Cat. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art,1953. Mentioned: p. 21, no. 72; Reproduced: plate VI
    Jones, Edith H. The Drawings of Charles Burchfield. New York: Frederic A. Praeger, 1968. Mentioned: p. 13; Reproduced: plate 6
    Maciejunes, Nannette V. The Early Works of Charles E. Burchfield, 1915-1921. Exh. Cat. Columbus, OH: Columbus Museum of Art, 1987. Mentioned: no. 47, p. 67; Reproduced: 63
    De Grazia, Diane and Carter E. Foster. Master Drawings from The Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2000. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 9
  • Charles Burchfield: The Ohio Landscapes, 1915–1920. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 22, 2018-May 5, 2019).
    Generous Donors: A Tribute to The Print Club of Cleveland. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 2-August 4, 1991).
    Cleveland Art Comes of Age: 1919-1940. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 28-September 10, 1989).
    The Early Work of Charles E. Burchfield. Columbus Museum of Art (December 13, 1987-February 7, 1988); Laguna Art Museum (March 5-April 24, 1988); Burchfield Penney Art Center (May 14-July 3, 1988).
    Leona E. Prasse, Connoisseur and Curator. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 28-August 25, 1985).
    The Year in Review for 1981. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 17-March 21, 1982).
    The Drawings of Charles E. Burchfield. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 4, 1953-January 10, 1954).
  • {{cite web|title=Chestnut Trees|url=false|author=Charles Burchfield|year=1920|access-date=20 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1981.209