Night of the Equinox

Charles Burchfield, Night of the Equinox, 1917-1955, watercolor, brush and ink, gouache, and charcoal on paper mounted on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.86
Copied Charles Burchfield, Night of the Equinox, 1917-1955, watercolor, brush and ink, gouache, and charcoal on paper mounted on paperboard, 40 1⁄8 x 52 1⁄8 in. (102.0 x 132.5 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.86

Artwork Details

Title
Night of the Equinox
Artist
Date
1917-1955
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
40 1⁄8 x 52 1⁄8 in. (102.0 x 132.5 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation
Mediums
Mediums Description
watercolor, brush and ink, gouache, and charcoal on paper mounted on paperboard
Classifications
Subjects
  • Landscape — time — night
  • Landscape — river
  • Landscape — weather — rain
  • Architecture Exterior — domestic — house
Object Number
1986.6.86
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.6.86

Artwork Description

Charles Burchfield used landscape forms as symbols to convey dreams, memories, and reminiscences of childhood. In Night of the Equinox, which captured a violent storm in the backyard of his parent’s home in Salem Ohio, driving rain pours from ominous clouds, and fantastical trees dance in the electrified air. The artist remembered the experience as “One of the most exciting weather events of the whole year. What we called the spring equinoctial storm. It seemed as if terrific forces were abroad in the land.”


Modern American Realism: The Sara Roby Foundation Collection, 2014

Exhibitions

Media - 1986.6.100 - SAAM-1986.6.100_2 - 135134
Modern American Realism: Highlights from the Sara Roby Foundation Collection
Smithsonian American Art Museum
This exhibition presents some of the most treasured paintings and sculpture from SAAM’s permanent collection, including artworks by Will Barnet, Isabel Bishop, Paul Cadmus, Edward Hopper, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Jacob Lawrence, George Tooker, among others.