Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967), Sunburst in December, 1915; watercolor and pencil, 20 x 14 inches; Image from the Burchfield Penney Archives
Charles Burchfield, Journals , December 24, 1914
Friday, Dec 24, 2021
After reading an essay, for several days I churned its subject matter over in my mind; certain sentences keep repeating themselves persistently. So it has been with Fonseka’s “On the Truth of Decorative Art.” This one sentence I have been thinking about much “Your notion of artistic creation is as blasphemous as your notion of the contemplative life. You should not emulate God, not duplicate creation, but stay on earth and beautify.” While disagreeing with the idea that to emulate any God is blasphemous, I do believe it is best to “stay on earth and beautify.”
Charles Burchfield, Journals, December 24, 1914