Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967)

Burchfield was as captivated by meteorological and astronomical phenomena as he was by plants, forests, and the sounds of insects. He painted this nocturnal scene in July 1916, inscribing it “Lightning and the Moon.” Burchfield purposely resisted adding more color to create a striking image of black-and-white integrated patterns that reverberate with lightning’s flash of energy. The moon faintly glows from behind the growing mass of storm clouds, and the turbulent sky creates a backdrop to silhouette dark treetops. It is an especially effective use of the counterpoint between negative and positive space.