Cromlech near Criccieth, North Wales/Coast near Pensarn, North Wales
Medium
Drawing
Classification
Drawing
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
1983.83.250
Tags
Art Historical Context
George Elbert Burr, a prominent American landscape artist known for his atmospheric etchings and drawings that capture the subtle play of light and mood, created *Cromlech near Criccieth, North Wales/Coast near Pensarn, North Wales* in 1899. This intimate drawing study juxtaposes two evocative Welsh scenes: the ancient cromlech—a prehistoric standing stone monument—near the historic castle town of Criccieth, and the rugged coastline at Pensarn. Sheep dot the landscape, evoking the timeless pastoral beauty of North Wales, a region Burr explored during his European travels. As a study, the work...
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...