Southern Autumn Birch 

Alfred Heber Hutty made this painting, entitled *Southern Autumn Birch*. Hutty moved to Charleston, South Carolina in 1919, where he became a key figure in the Charleston Renaissance. This artistic and cultural movement reimagined the American South, celebrating its beauty while often overlooking its complex social realities. In *Southern Autumn Birch*, Hutty paints a seemingly tranquil landscape. But the choice of subject speaks to larger issues of place and identity. These birch trees, common to northern climates, appear incongruous in the Southern landscape. They hint at themes of displacement and adaptation. "The artist," as he once remarked, "must love the land he paints". This painting encourages us to reflect on what it means to belong to a place and whether love of a place can mask the painful history of that place. Hutty's serene landscape invites us to find beauty in unexpected places. This painting asks us to think about what it means to call a place home.