The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 20, 2025

March Wind

1926

Charles Burchfield

(American, 1893–1967)
America
watercolor
Framed: 95.3 x 127.7 cm (37 1/2 x 50 1/4 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1928.220
Reproduced with permission from the Charles E. Burchfield Foundation
Location: Not on view

Description

This painting seems to confirm Burchfield’s belief that “you cannot experience a landscape until you have known all its discomforts.” As he wrote in his journal: The March wind is Master…it sweeps along blending all these dissimilar things into one grand harmonious whole—I stand by the road listening to the March wind singing in the telephone & telegraph wires. It is wonderful to stand & listen— I become spellbound…. a harsh caw from a crow…and always the roar of the March wind, and the wild barbarous music of the wire and wood harp. Birds, particularly black crows, appear repeatedly in Burchfield’s art. They seem to symbolize his own dark broodings, especially when paired with trees. However, birds may not have been entirely negative elements to Burchfield, as they have the ability to fly away, achieving escape and release.
  • Cleveland Museum of Art. Catalogue of an Exhibition of American Painting from 1860 until Today at the Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland]: [Printed by the Artcraft Printing Co.], 1937. Mentioned: p. 14, no. 17
    Francis, Henry. "Museum Water Colors and the Thirteenth Exhibition of Water Colors and Pastels." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 24, no. 3 (March 1937): 39-41 Mentioned: p. 40 www.jstor.org
  • Charles E. Burchfield: A Lifetime of Themes. Burchfield Penney Art Center, Buffalo, NY (organizer) (December 10, 2021-May 1, 2022) https://burchfieldpenney.org/exhibitions/exhibition:11-13-2020-02-28-2021-charles-e-burchfield-a-lifetime-of-themes/.
    Burchfield to Schreckengost: Cleveland Art of the Jazz Age. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 28-July 18, 2004).
    Cleveland, Ohio: The Cleveland Museum of Art; March 28 - July 18, 2004. "Burchfield to Schreckengost: Cleveland Art of the Jazz Age", no exhibition catalogue.
    Cleveland Art Comes of Age: 1919-1940. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 28-September 10, 1989).
    A Distant Harmony: Comparisons in the Painting of Canada and the United States of America. Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Canada (organizer) (October 8-November 28, 1982); Art Gallery of Hamilton, Hamilton, Canada (February 17-March 27, 1983).
    The Nature of Charles Burchfield: A Memorial Exhibition, 1893–1967, Paints, Drawings, Prints. Munson Museum of Art, Utica, NY (organizer) (April 3-June 14, 1970).
    Charles Burchfield Retrospective. American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, New York, NY (organizer) (March 1-April 21, 1968).
    Exhibition of Ohio Painters. The Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OH (organizer) (April 4-30, 1967).
    The Bird in Art. University of Arizona Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ (organizer) (November 7, 1964-January 3, 1965); Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, AR (January 16-February 14, 1965).
    Charles Burchfield Retrospective, 9th Annual Exhibition. Ogunquit Museum of American Art, Ogunquit, ME (organizer) (June 26-September 9, 1961).
    Charles Burchfield Retrospective Exhibition. Whitney Museum of American Art (January 11-February 26, 1956); The Baltimore Museum of Art (March 14-April 22, 1956); Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (May 9-June 17, 1956); San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (July 11-August 19, 1956); Los Angeles County Museum of Art (September 5-October 14, 1956); The Phillips Collection (November 4-December 11, 1956); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (December 28, 1956-February 10, 1957).
    American and French Modern Masters. La Napoule Art Foundation, New York, NY (organizer) (May 4-28, 1955).
    Work of Cleveland Artists for the 41st Annual Meeting of the College Art Association. The Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 29-31, 1953).
    Charles Burchfield: A Retrospective Exhibition of Watercolors and Oils 1916-1943. Buffalo AKG Art Museum, Buffalo, NY (organizer); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (January 4-28, 1945).
    The Silver Jubilee Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 23-September 28, 1941).
    Exhibition of American Painting from 1860 Until Today. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 23-October 4, 1937).
    CMA, June 23 - October 4, 1937: "Exhibition of American Painting from 1860 until Today," cat. no. 17, p. 14.
  • {{cite web|title=March Wind|url=false|author=Charles Burchfield|year=1926|access-date=20 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1928.220