Scenes of City Life and Country Life

Burned Out

The apartment building in New York City where Johnson and his wife lived caught fire in 1942. Burned Out, painted a year later, depicts a couple watching with dismay as their home and possessions burn. Although this painting does not specifically represent that earlier traumatic event in Johnson's life, he may have been thinking about his own experience when he painted this scene. Notice the bold composition that Johnson creates by using strong, contrasting colors, repetition of shapes, and strong vertical and horizontal lines.

Burned Out, about 1943
oil on wood
82.7 x 67.2 cm
(32 5/8 x 26 1/2 in.)
Gift of the Harmon Foundation

LOOK! THINK! IMAGINE!

Describe what is happening in this scene. What do you think the people might be feeling? What items has the couple managed to save from the fire? Work with your classmates to write a play about the event described in this painting. Imagine the events that led up to the fire and the events that happened after it. How does the play end? Act out the play in class.

There have been lots of floods and tornados in the United States recently. Have you seen pictures in the newspaper or on television of people who have experienced an incident such as a fire or a natural disaster? If you were in a similar situation, how would you react? If you lived in a community where a neighbor's house burned down, what could you do to help the family recover from their tragedy?

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