Sunflowers 1921

Charles E. Burchfield made this pattern of sunflowers, with who knows what kind of paint, at some point in his life. I love the way the color palette becomes almost monochromatic; the browns and golds blend so much they start to vibrate. You see a lot of detail in the leaves, where Burchfield outlines their forms, so the composition turns into a beautiful all-over pattern. The flowers themselves feel more expressive, not so bound by outline, but a kind of explosion of bright, vibrant pigment. Look closely at any one of the flower heads, and you can see how Burchfield layers the paint, thick and thin in different areas, to create a dense texture. This isn't just a representation of a sunflower; it's a translation of something felt into the medium of painting. It kind of reminds me of Hilma af Klint, in that it gives off the same sense of rhythm and pattern as a kind of mystical language, though Burchfield is looking at nature and Klint is working from spirit. It's a conversation about how we see, and how we communicate what we see.