Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967), The City, 1916; Watercolor, gouache, and pencil on paper, 13 7/8 x 19 7/8 inches; Museum of Modern Art, Gift of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller
All is awry with me. The beauty I saw while at home this summer, beauty that seemed perpetual does not come now. I entertain cheaper thoughts. The city is nothing but imitation & [hypocrisy].
I must up & away from this. I must regain my lost ground. It is but a little slip, but I must take firmer step lest I tumble.
The dry season continues. There are no vivid colors. Nature is drying a dead yellow. Moon clear.
Charles E. Burchfield, Journals, October 5, 1914