'After the Fire' by Charles S. Chapman

Charles S. Chapman (1879-1962), 'After the Fire,' no date, oil on metal, 16 x 21 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art.

Blackened trees smolder in the aftermath of a wildfire, charred remnants on a mountaintop. During Charles S. Chapman’s lifetime, unusually massive wildfires destroyed millions of acres in 1898 (North and South Carolina), 1903 and 1908 (Adirondacks), 1910 (Montana, Idaho, and Washington State), and more. While lightning and drought can naturally spark and spread a wildfire, many wildfires also have human origins, such as arson, accident, and industrial negligence.

Placing the viewer on a mountain, this work offers less a sweeping vista of a landscape than a view of our relationship to—and potential complicity in—a devastating blaze.

This work will be on view in the upcoming exhibition, Crossing the Divide: American Art from the Permanent Collection, opening on September 20, 2024.