Evening star., 1921-10-16

An extremely interesting collection
of etchings of the desert. by George
Ebert Burr of Denver. Col, is now
on view in the Corcoran Gallery of
-.c. These etchings. thirty-five in
humber. give an extraordinary inti-
lnacy with the great desert stretches
III New Mexico. Arizona and Califor-
MIA, showing both broad views and
intimate glimpses. They are in mez-
zotint, dry-point, eQuatint, soft
ground and pure line etching. and
the style of rendering is exceedingly
diverse.
For over twenty years Mr.. Burr
has made his home in Denver. having
= summer studio in the high Rockies.
from the door of which stretches out
before him magnificent panorama
of mountain peaks and gOrgeS. Be
fore going west he did illustrative
work and was known for his illus
trations for the catalogue of the He
Der Bishop collection of jades at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art. His
breadth of manner artistically Is
therefore built upon an extraordinary
knowledge of form and trained ac-
curacy. No wonder. therefore, that
in this collection of etchings. now on
view. his rendering of the fora and
vegetation of the desert is SO ex-
quisite or that his landscapes display
such firmness in contour.
There is nothing more diff1cult to
picture than the grandeur OF nature:
Many have attempted to paint and
to pictorfally interpret our great
west, but few have succeeded in rem
dering both its beauty and its scenic
majesty. These elements have found
their way into Mr.. Burr's little etch-
ings. His picture of the Grand Canyon
carries with it an impression OF vast
ness. His moonlight scenes suggest
in a very big way the awesome soli-
tude. His pictures of cloudburst
and of a sandstorm give one tre-
mendous appreciation of the power
and fury of the elements.
His compositions. Furthermore, are
excellent. He has an admirable way
of contrasting light and shade. of
bringing Httleness to scale with big
ness, of Indicating quantity as well
as quality of illumination. No me-
chanical process can adequately re-
produce an etching. particularly these
etchings. in which texture plays SO
be been enioyed. ed to be understood.
1t Is hard. perhaps, to understand
why a prickly pear cactus should be
found pictorial, but as Mr.. Burr has
rendered it it is. So also Is group
of giant cactus and curious rendf-
tion of a barrel cactus. No less In
teresting in the collection is an etch-
ing of a solita-v nalm in canyon
flooded with sunlight. There is not
line too much nor one too few. The
Jagged sides of the canyon are Wig
orously indicated-the palm. with Its
head high. stands enveloped in hot
atmosphere.
Miss Lena Mccauley. in an excel
lent monograph on these etchings.
recently said: "The wonder and the
glamour of the desert invest them.
They stimulate s, the imasinat'oRn nat R,ar.a ara
variations on desert aspects keep
consistently to the dominating spirit
of the arid land covering areas in
Arizona. New Mexico and California
The scientific student and keen OBJ
server detects the difference between
the Salton sink. the Mejave. the New
Mexican wastes and Arizona. but TO
the casual traveller and dreamer OF
the desert world certain charac-
true. true of the desert. Mr.. Burr.
as devotee of landscape and nat
ural grandeur in it's subjective moods.
has escaped the pictorial notes that
sublime idea. In only, a very few
Instances does his tool draw signs
of life in the landscape. The trav-
elers. knee deep in the sands. accent
etched line expresses flying birds
and once there is suggestion OF
fertile meadows. with cattle feeding.
near Kingman. Ariz.. but in every
case the desert invincible is DOM
inant."
west will find this collection of ex-
traordinary interest. and to those
who have not it will prove genuine
The exhibition of paintings by the
In the Corcoran Gallery of Art. is
engaging. interesting, colorful, varied
in subject. essentially fine.
1t is only strong painter whose
work gains through aggregation and
it is safe to say that even Miss
Ferries closest friends were not fully
aware of her capability until this ex-
1libtiion was assembled. These pic
lures do not represent amateur work.
the craftsmanship is exceptional, the
art is of high order and the pic
lures that are exhibited, almost with
out exception, possess naive charm
which was also her own.
Boat pictures of familiar Glouces-
Ter wharf scenes are delightful
but no more so than the pictures
painted abroad showing glimpses Of
quaint old world towns OF the color
full pictures of New England streets
and gardens, the floral still life sub
jects, the figure sketches. Whichever.
way one turns the eye is attracted.
the attention engaged. admiration
called forth.
In addition to the pictures there is
a case of miniatures, portrait studies,
with but one or two exceptions. which
are flower garden themes. Miss Perrie
MAS particularly successful in her