http://www.artesmagazine.com/2010/07/artist-rebecca-allan-explores-the-influence-of-charles-burchfield-in-her-work/ A Fine Art Magazine: Passionate for Fine Art, Architecture & Design Tue, 11 Oct 2011 18:58:07 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.artesmagazine.com/2010/07/artist-rebecca-allan-explores-the-influence-of-charles-burchfield-in-her-work/comment-page-1/#comment-2237 Deborah Garwood Thu, 05 Aug 2010 07:34:06 +0000 http://www.artesmagazine.com/?p=3811#comment-2237 A wonderful, informative article that portrays Burchfield with sensitivity, up close as it were. Very enjoyable to read an artist's perspective on another artist, and it seems especially fitting since this exhibition was curated by an artist. I wondered, when I saw the show at the Whitney, whether an art historian would have included so many of Burchfield's journals and other material artifacts? Would he/she have quoted the artist's own writings at length on the wall panels? Most likely not. And certainly, Gober's creation of a wall-papered room at the Whitney was a brilliant idea, sensitively paying homage to the conflict between labor and the creative life that so many working artists must manage, while also alluding to Gober's installations and their fearless exploration of psychological dilemmas. Allan's works also form an interesting counterpoint to Burchfield's, taking the close observation of nature as a common theme. She too has a naturalist's appreciation for the seasonal cycles that affect botanical life. As Allan points out, nature as a point of departure has served numerous artists of contrasting styles; and her observation that we may learn from Burchfield's intimate relationship to natural phenomena near at hand is as understated as it is relevant to the environmental concerns of today. A wonderful, informative article that portrays Burchfield with sensitivity, up close as it were. Very enjoyable to read an artist’s perspective on another artist, and it seems especially fitting since this exhibition was curated by an artist. I wondered, when I saw the show at the Whitney, whether an art historian would have included so many of Burchfield’s journals and other material artifacts? Would he/she have quoted the artist’s own writings at length on the wall panels? Most likely not. And certainly, Gober’s creation of a wall-papered room at the Whitney was a brilliant idea, sensitively paying homage to the conflict between labor and the creative life that so many working artists must manage, while also alluding to Gober’s installations and their fearless exploration of psychological dilemmas. Allan’s works also form an interesting counterpoint to Burchfield’s, taking the close observation of nature as a common theme. She too has a naturalist’s appreciation for the seasonal cycles that affect botanical life. As Allan points out, nature as a point of departure has served numerous artists of contrasting styles; and her observation that we may learn from Burchfield’s intimate relationship to natural phenomena near at hand is as understated as it is relevant to the environmental concerns of today.

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