Untitled (transfer drawing for Capri from Sorrento)
ca. 1920s
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
1983.83.77
Tags
Art Historical Context
George Elbert Burr's *Untitled (transfer drawing for from Sorrento)*, around the 1920s, captures a picturesque Mediterranean vista from the cliffs of Sorrento toward the island of Capri. This preparatory highlights a iconic pine tree in the foreground, framing the distant blue silhouette of Capri—a timeless symbol of Italian coastal beauty that drew artists and travelers alike during the early 20th century. housed in the Smithsonian American Art through the bequest of Carolann Smurthwaite, it offers a glimpse into Burr's exploratory phase beyond his renowned American landscapes. As an America...
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...