Watercolor Stories explores the enduring connection between artist Charles E. Burchfield and art collector Edward Root, whose treasured gift of hundreds of paintings and works on paper can be enjoyed at Munson. Burchfield’s expressive watercolors captivated Root and his wife Grace, leading to a deep friendship and a lasting fascination with the artist’s work.
“Munson is fortunate to own such a remarkable collection of Burchfield’s incredibly expressive watercolors,” says Stephen Harrison, Munson Director and Chief Curator. “These works are rarely shown in order to prevent them from fading. As a result, they are as vibrant and mesmerizing as the day they were painted.”
Burchfield’s most compelling images draw from childhood memories, evoking a multi-sensory recollection of being a small boy in his yard, feeling entranced and overwhelmed by the aromas of summer flowers and warm earth amidst a symphonic melody of insects.
A keen sensitivity to all aspects of the natural world can be found in Burchfield’s paintings. He was masterful at layering pattern and color to create a sensation of vibrating energy in forests and fields. He focused his subject matter on sites of emotional connection, largely in Ohio and Western New York, that proved an endless source of inspiration.
Because of Edward Root’s sustained interest in Burchfield’s work, which he later bequeathed to Munson, the Museum of Art owns watercolors and drawings from several different stylistic phases of Burchfield’s development. His paintings are emotionally expressive, with oversized flowers in a vivid palette of color or images depicting the human imprint in a natural setting.
