Untitled (transfer drawing for Florence from Monte Oliveto [No. 2])
ca. 1931
![Untitled (transfer drawing for Florence from Monte Oliveto [No. 2]) by George Elbert Burr](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.artheonmuseum.org%2Fsmith%2Fthumb%2Funtitled-transfer-drawing-for-florence-from-monte-smith-042437-0.webp&w=3840&q=75)
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
1983.83.54
Tags
Art Historical Context
George Elbert Burr, a pioneering American etcher renowned for his luminous landscapes and atmospheric effects, created this *Untitled (transfer drawing for Florence from Monte OlivetoNo. 2])* around 1931. From the vantage of Mount Oliveto's olive groves overlooking Florence, Italy, the drawing captures the iconic dome of Santa Maria del Fiore magnificent Duomo—rising amid Tuscan hills. Burr, best known for his Western American scenes, ventured into European subjects here, blending his signature sensitivity to light and form with Italy's timeless beautyAs a transfer drawing, preparatory work wa...
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...