The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 8, 2026

A vertically oriented graphite drawing on paper depicts an abstracted, symmetrical plant in shades of gray. Near the top, two shaded crescents curve inward, framed by radiating wispy lines and small dots. A central stem marked by a row of dark circles descends between two large, jagged leaves spreading toward the left and right margins. Varied pencil strokes and fluid lines create a sense of organic growth throughout the composition.

Study of a Venus Flytrap

1959–60

Charles Burchfield

(American, 1893–1967)
America
graphite on paper
Sheet: 15.2 x 10.2 cm (6 x 4 in.)
Bequest of the Thomas H. Horner and Virginia Jackson Horner Trust 2024.54
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

Although Charles Burchfield was known for his expressive depictions of the Midwestern landscape early on, by 1960—around the time this drawing was made—his style had changed dramatically. The artist focused on dreamlike, nearly psychedelic forms inspired by, but no longer drawn directly from nature. Here, a sketched Venus flytrap is reduced to spiraling forms.
  • 1975–2024
    Tom Horner, Hudson, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2024-
    Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=Study of a Venus Flytrap|url=false|author=Charles Burchfield|year=1959–60|access-date=08 July 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2024.54