Orion in Winter 

Curator: Charles Burchfield created this watercolor painting, "Orion in Winter," sometime around 1962. Its subdued palette really sets a somber mood, doesn’t it? Editor: Yes, somber and spectral! There's something unsettling in the composition, with these radiating lines and slightly sinister-looking stars. The entire work gives the sense of a kind of dream or vision. Curator: Precisely! The formal devices are striking. Notice how Burchfield deploys repetitive star shapes and the upward-thrusting lines of the trees, creating an overall impression of movement and ascent. And how the cool blues and greys reinforce this atmosphere of winter stillness. Editor: And what about the political context during which this watercolor was made? I imagine that, during the cold war, in the 1960's, stargazing might also take a specific political meaning... people imagining what could happen to us from the skies! But overall, yes, this composition evokes both hope and dread in almost equal measure, right? The swirling vortex in the sky definitely is something… Curator: Definitely, I am attracted, also, by the expressionistic brushstrokes here. They're very deliberate; the swirls almost anthropomorphize the night sky itself into a kind of looming, almost watchful presence. Editor: This focus on anthropomorphism raises some valid questions, as his aesthetic strategies could perhaps also evoke discussions around environmental preservation… Does the painting suggest vulnerability or simply a stoic acceptance of change? Curator: Yes, and by understanding his compositional approach and expressive style, we can come to see the historical context differently... the tension is really captured visually! It’s as if the painting itself becomes a vessel for those emotions. Editor: Perhaps one of Burchfield's achievements is leaving that tension unresolved—that tension still persists between form and the world as it is.