Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967)

Riotous colors and random patterns of a bountiful flower garden contrast with horizontal slats of gold clapboard and a sun-soaked lawn. In a lovingly painted “snapshot” of his backyard, Burchfield used a Post-Impressionist style of simple, broad brushstrokes that ignore minute details to convey patterns of color defined by light. By framing his view from the shelter of the grape arbor with a pair of shadowed trees, he concentrated the visual field, thus intensifying its rainbow brilliance. He seems to have adapted Monet’s brushwork and Cezanne’s compositional strategies to merge with his landscape watercolor style acquired from Berlin Heights and Cleveland School of Art colleagues. —Nancy Weekly

Charles E. Burchfield, Journals, Vol. XI, Aug. 6, 1913, pp. 69-70: 
 
     I strolled lazily thru Jim's garden. While I think it is pretty, still what it is is only a promise of what it might be, if only the drought would end. The earth is hard and dry—plants are shriveling up, pitiful sights. 
     Guarding the end of the garden on the east side of the arbor are perennial plants—lemon lilies, flags, spiderwort, phlox, peonies and golden-glow, the last of which—graceful beauties—are in bloom. Then comes the riot of flowers, pansies (dried up from the heat), portulaca (in great quantities), hollyhocks, gladiolas, gourds, morning glories, nicotianas (beautiful plants), petunias, cox-comb, rainbow corn, amyrillas [sic] (wine colored seed heads), sweet-peas, sweet alyssum, poppies, dahlias and many others—many of which are all mingled together in pleasing confusion. Going down around the end of the arbor we come upon the vegetable portion. A row of sunflowers guard the garden from the alley. Here are beets, carrots, parsnips, beans, parsley, cabbages, tomatoes and corn, the last of which bring us to the upper end. Here the way is barred by another row of sunflowers, at whose feet loll nasturtiums, in gay disorder.