Artwork
A Mirage, Arizona
A Mirage, Arizona is an ink print by George Elbert Burr. It dates from 1929 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created circa 1929, *A Mirage, Arizona* is a drypoint print executed in black on laid paper. The image presents a stark desert vista, with spiky vegetation in the foreground and a distant, low‑lying horizon that recedes toward muted mountains. The sky is rendered with minimal line, giving the whole composition a hazy, evaporative quality that suggests heat and distance.
Subject & Meaning
The work portrays an arid landscape typical of Arizona, emphasizing the interplay of light and atmosphere that makes distant forms appear to dissolve. The title, *A Mirage*, underscores the visual effect of a scene that seems to waver and fade, echoing the way mirages distort perception in desert environments.
Technique & Style
Burr employed drypoint, a intaglio method in which a sharp needle incises lines directly onto a metal plate, producing a characteristically soft, velvety line. The exclusive use of black against the light texture of laid paper accentuates tonal gradations, allowing the forms to recede into a subtle, almost erased sky.
History & Provenance
George Elbert Burr, known for his extensive series of Western etchings and drypoints, produced this piece during a period when he was documenting the desert regions of the American Southwest. The print forms part of his broader effort to record the distinctive terrain and light of Arizona and its neighboring states.
Context
In the late 1920s, American printmakers increasingly turned to the West’s rugged scenery as a source of modern artistic inspiration. Burr’s focus on expansive, sun‑baked spaces aligns with contemporary interests in realism and the atmospheric effects of light, positioning the work within a larger movement that celebrated the nation’s varied landscapes.
Artist & collection
Artist
George Elbert Burr (April 14, 1859 – November 17, 1939 ) was an American printmaker and painter best known for his etchings and drypoints of the desert and mountain regions of the American West.
