1927
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Whirlwinds, Mojave Desert, California (no.3) is a 1927 ink by George Elbert Burr, held at National Gallery of Art.
This picture shows a flat, empty desert with small bushes scattered across the ground. In the distance, three jagged mountains rise up, drawn with quick, sketchy lines. The sky is barely there—just a faint, pale wash behind the hills. The artist used a greenish-black ink to make the lines pop against the white paper. The title says it’s the Mojave Desert, but the scene looks almost ghostly. Next, check out technique: drypoint to see how artists scratch into metal plates to make prints.
George Elbert Burr (April 14, 1859 – November 17, 1939 ) was an American printmaker and painter best known for his etchings and drypoints of the desert and mountain regions of the American West.
See the richer artist page
