Charles Burchfield first came to Buffalo, New York, in 1921 to design wallpaper for a local firm. There, he painted many of the haunting townscapes that speak of loneliness, isolation, and mystery. Referring to this work, Burchfield himself said, "For me the `picture' was the grim dramatic quality of the buildings in the eerie light of an imminent storm." Street Scene depicts a box-gatherer pulling his cart down Genesee Street on a day in early spring. The scene derives a surreal quality from the giant trade signs of a molar and a pair of shears and the "false-front" effect of the central structure. A master watercolorist, Burchfield used the medium to express visual equivalents of sounds and psychic sensations, often splicing together large sheets of paper to create such monumental works.

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• From 1921-1929 Charles Burchfield worked as a wallpaper designer for America's oldest wallpaper manufacturer, M.H. Birge & Sons Company.

• Burchfield Penney Art Center, Buffalo, NY
  Explore the life and works of Charles E. Burchfield.

• Brandywine River Museum of Art, Chadds Ford, PA
  Learn more about the landscapes of Charles E. Burchfield.

• Burchfield Homestead Society
  Read about the artist and his home at the Historic Artists' Homes and Studios website.

• YouTube
  Watch this video about Charles Burchfield created by the Burchfield Penney Art Center.

• Burchfield Penney Art Center, Buffalo, NY
  View the preliminary drawing of Street Scene created in 1937.