Kalida in Putnam County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Artist Emerson Burkhart
Side A:
Described as a Columbus "institution" when he died in 1969, Emerson C. Burkhart was born on a farm in Union Township, Putnam County in 1905. The son of Albert and Nora Burkhart, Emerson graduated from Kalida High School in 1924 and from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1927. After studying art in Provincetown, Massachusetts and in New York City, he settled in Columbus and, in 1937, married Mary Ann Martin, an artists' model who devoted herself to his career. Burkhart was a prolific painter and completed an estimated 3,000 pictures during his 40-year career, including street scenes, rural landscapes, and more than 250 self-portraits, once noting his face was "cheaper than a model's and always there."
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Side B:
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Inspired by the American Scene movement of the first part of the 20th century, Burkhart strove to render the world around him in "painting so real, people feel compelled to touch." He attributed his style, in part, to his roots: "My rural background helped mold my ideas of what I like to paint and how I like to paint them." Abstract styles dominated the American art scene when Burkhart was active, but he dismissed them as "wiggles and curlicues." His work is found in private and public collections around the country, including the Columbus Museum of Art and the Ohio Historical Society. Burkhart also painted murals at Central High School in Columbus and in Stillman Hall at the Ohio State University.
Erected 2003 by Ohio Bicentennial Commission, The Village of Kalida, The Putnam County Historical Society, and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 2-69.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Arts, Letters, Music. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1969.
Location. 40° 59.102′ N, 84° 11.883′ W. Marker is in Kalida, Ohio, in Putnam County. Marker is at the intersection of Broad Street (Ohio Route 115) and Napoleon Street (Ohio Route 115), on the left when traveling north on Broad Street. Marker is on the east grounds of Kalida High School, about 300 feet north of St. Michael's Catholic Church (the dominant area landmark). Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 311 Broad Street, Kalida OH 45853, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Welcome To Pioneer Park (approx. 0.3 miles away); Pioneer Days Mural (approx. 0.3 miles away); Pioneer Days In Kalida / The Putnam County Historical Society (approx. 0.3 miles away); First Putnam County Government Seat / Court Houses (approx. 0.3 miles away); Kalida (approx. 0.4 miles away); Kalida Veterans Memorial (approx. half a mile away); a different marker also named Kalida (approx. 0.6 miles away); The Samuel Myers, Sr., Grist Mill 1834-1860 (approx. 5.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Kalida.
Also see . . .
1. About Emerson Burkhart. Website homepage (Submitted on March 14, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. Emerson Burkhart Images. Google search results (Submitted on March 14, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Additional commentary.
1.
A biography, "Emerson Burkhart: An Ohio Painter's Song of Himself," was written by Michael D. Hall.
— Submitted March 14, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 28, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 14, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 1,717 times since then and 82 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on March 14, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.