The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 8, 2026

A graphite drawing on paper depicts a landscape dominated by a towering cloud formation. In the foreground, a peaked roof and chimney nestle among stylized palm trees rendered with curving strokes. Behind them, a massive bulbous cloud rises, shaded with dense horizontal hatching. Faint vertical lines representing light rays extend from the top edge, while stylized initials "AB" and the date "1917" are inscribed in the bottom right corner.

Thunderhead and Sun Rays

1917

Charles Burchfield

(American, 1893–1967)
America
graphite on paper
Sheet: 27.8 x 21.6 cm (10 15/16 x 8 1/2 in.); Mount: 30.5 x 24.4 cm (12 x 9 5/8 in.)
Bequest of the Thomas H. Horner and Virginia Jackson Horner Trust 2024.52
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Charles Burchfield kept journals in which he explained his artworks and the deeply personal symbolism within them.

Description

Charles Burchfield considered the period during which this drawing was made his “golden year.” It followed a time of self-doubt and uncertainty: after graduating from the Cleveland School of Art, Burchfield enrolled in the National Academy of Design in New York City, but dropped out after one day, returning to Salem to work an office job. During his breaks, he sketched incessantly, creating sheets such as this one, which depicted the landscape around him.
  • Estate of the artist, Buffalo, NY
    Charles Burchfield Foundation, Buffalo, NY
    by 1975
    (Kennedy Galleries, New York, NY)
    1975–2024
    Tom Horner, Hudson, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    June 3, 2024–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Charles Burchfield: Watercolor and Drawings, 1915-1966. Exh. Cat. New York: Kennedy Galleries, 1975.
  • Charles Burchfield: Watercolor and Drawings, 1915-1966. Kennedy Galleries, New York (October 15 – November 1, 1975).
  • {{cite web|title=Thunderhead and Sun Rays|url=false|author=Charles Burchfield|year=1917|access-date=08 July 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2024.52