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
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 — river
  • Landscape — time — night
  • 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

Works by this artist (791 items)

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Mary Vaux Walcott, Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida), 1919, watercolor on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1970.355.658
Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida)
Artist
Date1919
watercolor on paper
Not on view
Mary Vaux Walcott, Blue Larkspur (Delphinium nuttallianum), 1905, watercolor on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1970.355.101
Blue Larkspur (Delphinium nuttallianum)
Artist
Date1905
watercolor on paper
Not on view
Mary Vaux Walcott, Hedysarum (Hedysarum sulphurescens), 1917, watercolor on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1970.355.185
Hedysarum (Hedysarum sulphurescens)
Artist
Date1917
watercolor on paper
Not on view
Mary Vaux Walcott, (Untitled--Plant Study), 1883, watercolor on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1970.355.760
(Untitled – Plant Study)
Artist
Date1883
watercolor on paper
Not on view

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.

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Dwinell Grant, Untitled, 1936, watercolor on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Patricia and Phillip Frost, 1986.92.31
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Artist
Date1936
watercolor on paper
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William H. Johnson, Rock Formations, Svolvaer, Norway, ca. 1937, watercolor on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.25
Rock Formations, Svolvaer, Norway
Artist
Dateca. 1937
watercolor on paper
Not on view
Gil Smith, Port Chilkoot, Alaska, n.d., watercolor, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Ford Motor Company, 1968.151.17
Port Chilkoot, Alaska
Artist
Daten.d.
watercolor
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Image Not Available
Still Life
Artist
Date1931
watercolor on paper
Not on view