Arizona Night
after 1920
Medium
Graphic Arts-Print
Classification
Graphic Arts-Print
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Carolann Smurthwaite in memory of her mother, Caroline Atherton Connell Smurthwaite
Accession Number
1983.83.16
Tags
Art Historical Context
George Elbert Burr's *Arizona Night*, created after 1920, captures the mystical allure of the American Southwest in a graphic arts print from the Smithsonian American Art Museum As an etcher renowned for his atmospheric landscapes, Burr evocatively renders moonlit deserts and rugged Western terrain, evoking the vast, starry skies of Arizona. This work reflects his deep affinity for the region, where he lived and worked, producing prints that blend realism with poetic luminosity. Burr was a master of intaglio techniques, particularly etching and drypoint, which allowed him to achieve rich tona...
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...