The visionary art of Charles Burchfield

Two exhibitions in New York City this summer explore the extraordinary landscape art of Charles Burchfield (American, 1893-1967), a curiously under-appreciated master watercolorist.

Celebrated during his lifetime for his nature-inspired artwork, Burchfield, who was active in Upstate New York and Ohio, has recently been reconsidered for his unique vision. On the auction market, his work has edged upwards in the last five years with a top price record of $1.3 million, for "A Dream of Butteflies," captured in 2007.

DC Moore Gallery has just opened "Charles Burchfield: Fifty Years as a Painter," featuring an exceptional group of watercolors and drawings, many culled from private collections, that span his five-decade career. Also, on June 26, the Whitney Museum of American Art will present the major retrospective, "Heat Waves in a Swamp: The Paintings of Charles Burchfield," with over 100 major works by the artist.

Burchfield lived near scenic Niagara Falls, but his visionary art focused on more immediate surroundings: flowers in his garden, the views from his windows, dramatic skies, sudden atmospheric changes, among other experiences in nature and urban settings.

His signature watercolors feature luminous colors and strong expressionistic techniques, with the subjects straddling a realistic depiction of the world and, sometimes, more dream-like qualities.

Burchfield, who can be considered part of the American Scene art movement, also addressed the harsh realities of twentieth-century industrialization and life in small towns and urban areas. In the DC Moore show, his bold watercolor "The Locomotive" (1928) depicts, in the artist's words, “the force and power of industry, alive and moving.”

- "Charles Burchfield: Fifty Years as a Painter," June 10-Sept. 25, 2010, at DC Moore Gallery, 724 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY.

- "Heat Waves in a Swamp: The Paintings of Charles Burchfield" was organized by the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, in collaboration with the Burchfield Penney Art Center, Buffalo, New York. On view June 24-Oct. 17, 2010 at Whiney Museum of American Art, 945 Madison Ave., New York, NY.