Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967)

May 24-; Unable to sleep all night – such nervousness over my work is discouraging. ; The whole earth is soggy, - and a thousand odors fill the air with agonyzing [sic] fragrance – Over night the leaves seem to have extended to full summer growth, and the plants are shooting up with tropic-like lushness – the feeling is one of gayety and exuberance – ; P.M. to Buffalo to bank and some shopping – May 25-; A fine wind blowing in my south window last night – ; Dark and cloudy today – rain at times. ; I never hear a train-whistle at this season without a pang – I feel as tho [sic] I were missing exciting adventures (which could only happen in May) to be had along for stretching railroad vistas, or illimitable spaces over the lake. ; It takes a fine, unusual sort of courage to have faith at a time like this. That is why the common run of artist finds relief in painting pictures of pessimism and gloom. They are following the line of least resistance. But they will be deliberately discarded and forgotten by mankind when a better time comes – and rightly so. For us, the Sibelius 5th Symphony (an act of Faith) is of far more importance than the Great War of 1914-18, which occurred at the same time. In time, that war, and its offspring the present