November Evening
In fall 1931 Burchfield began this painting after feeling the need to "re-embrace [the] epic poetry of American life" as represented by "the vast lonely stretches of the Midwest. The composition is based closely on one of Burchfield's first oil paintings, a smaller canvas entitled Late Afternoon Twilight (Burchfield Penney Art Center, SUNY Buffalo State, Buffalo, New York), however, the landscape and sky are embellished and dramatized. As the artist wrote: "I have tried to express the coming of winter over the middle-west as it must have felt to the pioneers—great black clouds sweep out of the west at twilight as if to overwhelm not only the pitiful attempt at a town, but also the earth itself." The Met purchased November Evening in 1934, the year it was completed.
Artwork Details
- Title: November Evening
- Artist: Charles Ephraim Burchfield (American, Ashtabula Harbor, Ohio 1893–1967 West Seneca, New York)
- Date: 1934
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 32 1/2 × 52 3/8 in. (82.6 × 133 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: George A. Hearn Fund, 1934
- Object Number: 34.43
- Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Charles Ephraim Burchfield
1952
Charles Ephraim Burchfield
1953
Charles Ephraim Burchfield
ca. 1955
Charles Ephraim Burchfield
1915
Charles Ephraim Burchfield
ca. 1955
Related Content
Publications
Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.