Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967)

An excerpt from Burchfield's Journals gives us access to the origin of this work:

...A glorious day packed full of delightful impressions from beginning to end.

Parked at the open fields to the north of the main woods. The moment I landed, I felt at once that it was a special day – brilliant sun, hot dry wind from the southwest blowing of the meadows of bleached grass, asters and golden-rod.

I decided to do a piece featuring the asters and dry grass – almost from the first, the picture took the lead and I had to follow as best I could – and it was difficult to invent rapidly enough the semi-abstract conventionalizations that the power and beauty of the wind, sunlight and sky demanded, worked until 3:00...

Charles E. Burchfield, Journals, September 21, 1951