Song of the Cicada: A Study of Summer Heat and Insect Rhythms
Artist
Charles Ephraim Burchfield
(American, 1893 - 1967)
Daten.d.
MediumCharcoal and India ink on paper
DimensionsUnframed: 9 1/2 × 11 1/2 inches (24.13 × 29.21 cm)
Framed: 16 1/8 × 19 3/8 inches (40.96 × 49.21 cm)
Framed: 16 1/8 × 19 3/8 inches (40.96 × 49.21 cm)
Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. C. Humbert Tinsman Jr. and Mr. and Mrs. James E. C. Tinsman in memory of C. Humbert and Julia Tinsman
Object number2002.12.1
SignedInitialed lower left on recto
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionThis charcoal and ink drawing portrays a landscape. The artist has used free-flowing, organic lines to suggest nature's energy. The most prominent element is a fallen tree in the forground.Gallery LabelImagine August. Feel the press of the hot, humid air against your skin. A sluggish breeze smells of browning grass, and everywhere the swelling crescendo of cicada song rises and falls, rises and falls. How does Charles Ephraim Burchfield visually convey this experience? How does he evoke such physical sensations as summer heat and the sound of insects through the simple means of charcoal, ink and paper?
Copyright© Charles E. Burchfield Foundation / Burchfield Penney Art Center
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