Black Iron 

Charles Burchfield rendered this somber vision of a bridge in ink, watercolor, and gouache. The imposing structure dominates the landscape, evoking the ancient Roman aqueducts. Bridges often symbolize connection, a crossing over from one state to another. Yet here, the bridge seems more a barrier, its heavy ironwork looming darkly overhead. The stark, mechanical forms recall the Tower of Babel, a symbol of human ambition and its ultimate failure. Consider too the railroad crossing sign, a modern memento mori. Its presence, a warning of impending danger, highlights the transient nature of life amidst the industrial age. This symbol finds echoes in vanitas paintings of the Dutch Golden Age, where skulls and decaying fruit served as reminders of mortality. Such visual motifs resonate across time, a testament to our enduring fascination with mortality, hubris, and the ceaseless cycle of creation and destruction.