Whirlwinds, Mojave Desert, California (no.3)
c. 1927
Medium
drypoint and aquatint in greenish-black on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 19.9 x 25.1 cm (7 13/16 x 9 7/8 in.) sheet: 25.7 x 32.9 cm (10 1/8 x 12 15/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mrs. John Farr Simmons
Accession Number
1986.60.20
Art Historical Context
**Whirlwinds, Mojave Desert California (no. 3)** *George Elbert Burr,. 1927* George Elbert Burr, a master etcher of the American West, captures the raw drama of the Mojave Desert in evocative print. Created around 1927, *Whirlwinds, Mojave, California (no. 3)* depicts towering dust devils twisting across arid sands, embodying Burr's lifelong fascination with the Southwest's vast, untamed landscapes. Burr, who settled in California after years traveling the West, produced over 1,000 prints celebrating nature's grandeur during the early 20th-century etching revival, when artists sought to r...
About the Artist
George Elbert Burr
George Elbert Burr was an American printmaker and watercolorist whose career spanned the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, earning him a reputation as one of the foremost etchers of the American West. Born in 1859 in Monroe Falls, Ohio, Burr trained as a commercial illustrator before turning his full attention to fine art. He honed his craft through diligent self-study and close obser...