Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967)

Country Road depicts Goshen Road—Two Mile Road, in Salem, Ohio, Burchfield’s childhood home. The watercolor looks unfinished, but Burchfield believed in its worth, because he kept it for thirteen years, carrying it with him when he moved from Salem to Buffalo in 1921. He was confident enough in it, as well, to show it to collector Edward Root when they met for the first time in Burchfield’s studio. For Root, who taught art appreciation at Hamilton College, such an image was an invaluable example of an artist’s process, such as developing a composition, drawing perspectival lines, and color blocking.