Bidspirit auction | Charles E. Burchfield ”Woman in

Charles E. Burchfield ”Woman in a Garden” Painting - Charles Ephraim Burchfield (American, 1893-1967). Watercolor and gouache on paper expressionist painting titled ”Woman in a Garden, ” 1915. Depicting a woman tending to her garden, her figure anchors the scene as her deep blue shadow stretches boldly across the golden-yellow ground. Featuring interlocking, white and silver arched branches sweeping across the left side. The background is dominated by a geometric, stylized building featuring striking red-trimmed windows, while deep green shadows cast by the nearby tree play across its facade. Pencil signed and dated along the lower right. With a Christie's label adhered along the verso. Provenance: Christie's, New York, NY, ”American Watercolors, Drawings, Paintings and Sculpture of the 19th and 20th Centuries, ” September 30, 1988; The Distinguished Collection of Leo & Doris Hodroff. Lot Essay: Best known for his romantic, often visionary depictions of the natural world, watercolorist Charles Ephraim Burchfield developed a highly personal style that celebrated distinctly American landscapes while expressing his profound connection to nature. Born on April 9, 1893, in Ashtabula Harbor, Ohio, Burchfield moved with his family to Salem, Ohio, where he graduated from high school. He studied at the Cleveland School of Art from 1912 to 1916 under Henry G. Keller, Frank N. Wilcox, and William J. Eastman. During these formative years, Burchfield embraced the expressive potential of watercolor, moving beyond direct observation to create emotionally charged compositions that conveyed the inner life of nature. This early Expressionist period produced some of his most innovative work, ”Woman in a Garden” being included. In 1921, Burchfield relocated to Buffalo, New York, with his wife and children to work as a designer for the wallpaper manufacturer M.H. Birge & Sons Company. Inspired by Buffalo's streets, harbor, railroad yards, and surrounding countryside, he adopted a more realistic style. In 1930, the Museum of Modern Art in New York presented its first one-person exhibition, ”Charles Burchfield: Early Watercolors 1916–1918,” celebrating the innovative paintings of his early Expressionist years. Sight; height: 11 3/4 in x width: 9 in. Framed; height: 18 1/2 in x width: 15 in x depth: 1 1/2 in. Condition: There are no visible tears, losses, or restorations. Housed under a clothbound mat and framed under glass. Light wear to the frame. Not inspected out of frame.