Artwork Page for Study of a Venus Flytrap

Details / Information for Study of a Venus Flytrap

Study of a Venus Flytrap

1959–60

Charles Burchfield

(American, 1893–1967)
Culture
America
Medium
graphite on paper
Measurements
Sheet: 15.2 x 10.2 cm (6 x 4 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of the Thomas H. Horner and Virginia Jackson Horner Trust 2024.54
Copyright
Copyright
This artwork is known to be under copyright.
Location
Not on view
Print
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Did You Know?

Charles Burchfield kept journals in which he explained his artworks and the deeply personal symbolism within them.

Description

Although Charles Burchfield was known for his expressive depictions of the Midwestern landscape early on, by 1960—around the time this drawing was made—his style had changed dramatically. The artist focused on dreamlike, nearly psychedelic forms inspired by, but no longer drawn directly from nature. Here, a sketched Venus flytrap is reduced to spiraling forms.
A vertically oriented graphite drawing on paper depicts an abstracted, symmetrical plant in shades of gray. Near the top, two shaded crescents curve inward, framed by radiating wispy lines and small dots. A central stem marked by a row of dark circles descends between two large, jagged leaves spreading toward the left and right margins. Varied pencil strokes and fluid lines create a sense of organic growth throughout the composition.

Study of a Venus Flytrap

1959–60

Charles Burchfield

(American, 1893–1967)
America

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