Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967), Salem Bedroom Studio, Feb. 21, 1917; watercolor on paper, 27 3/16 x 22 inches (Frame: 31 7/8 x 27 3/16 inches); Gift of the Burchfield Foundation, 1975
The happiest moment contains in its womb the germ of the most morbid one.
I seem to feel some presence which hovers to one side—sometimes it is a man, or a phantom, or a running dog; I look quickly but there is nothing there.
Yesterday I heard a pounding while at work. It was frighteningly deep + hollow, seeming to come from the depths of the earth.
One night last week I lay in bed fearing to go to sleep for fear I would wake in insanity.
Charles E. Burchfield, September 23, 1916