Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967), Rogues Gallery, 1916; watercolor and pencil on paper, 13 7/8 x 17 7/8 inches; The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Gift of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, 1935
Charles E. Burchfield, Journals, November 21, 1931
Thursday, Nov 7, 2013
How good it is to come back to one’s self—I had wandered to Utica, New York, Pittsburgh, Salem, Cleveland perhaps in search of something—for time after I returned the realization of my utter loneliness, and its uncompromising necessity swept over me, almost crushing me with despair—that is gone now and I sit surrounded by all of the ideas I love, freed by the realization that crowds and companionship are not for me.
Charles Burchfield, November 21, 1931