# New Moon and Evening Star **George Elbert Burr** (American, 1859–1939) c. 1932 etching, drypoint, and aquatint in black plate: 24.9 × 19.9 cm (9 13/16 × 7 13/16 in.) sheet: 33.8 × 27.8 cm (13 5/16 × 10 15/16 in.) Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2008.115.1124. [The museum's record](https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.146847.html). ## About this work A saguaro cactus stands silhouetted at the left of a darkening desert, while a crescent moon and a bright evening star shine through a break in soft grey clouds above rocky mountains. George Elbert Burr settled in Arizona in the 1920s and made the desert his great subject, producing many etchings of its plants, mountains and changing skies. Here he combines etching, drypoint and aquatint to build the velvety tones of dusk, when the desert’s forms dissolve into shadow. _Written by Ochre Editions._ George Elbert Burr made this in about 1932, aged 73. It is now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. ### What you’re looking at This print depicts a grayscale desert landscape with a prominent saguaro cactus to the left. In the background, rocky mountains are visible in the darkness. The sky shows a crescent moon and a bright star through an opening in the soft gray clouds. Sparse desert vegetation is faintly visible on the ground, and more cacti can be seen in the distance. _Description from the National Gallery of Art._ ### How it was made - **Aquatint.** Resin dust is fused to the plate and bitten with acid, so the plate prints areas of tone, like a wash, rather than lines. - **Drypoint.** Lines scratched straight into the plate with a needle throw up a ridge of metal, the burr, which holds ink and prints a soft, furred line. The burr wears down, so early impressions are the richest. - **Etching.** The artist draws with a needle through a waxy coating on a copper plate, and acid bites the exposed lines. The plate is then inked, wiped and printed under pressure, so the line keeps the freedom of drawing. ### [George Elbert Burr](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/george-elbert-burr) American, 1859–1939 Burr worked as an illustrator in New York before spending several years travelling and sketching in Europe around 1900. Moving west for his health, he settled in Denver and later in Phoenix, and became best known for etchings of the deserts and mountains of the American Southwest, many worked with drypoint and aquatint and some inked in colour to suggest the light of dawn and dusk. _Written by Ochre Editions._ ## Facts - Type: Print - The artist was 73 - Real size: about 10 × 8 in (25 × 20 cm). The 8 × 10 in print is close to life size. - Century: 20th century - Subjects: Landscape, Moon, Stars, Mountain, Cactus - Colour: grey - Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose. ## Get it - Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/1677.jpg?dl=1 - Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/1677/1920.jpg - Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68; 20 × 30 in $86 - Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164; 20 × 30 in $208 - Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98 - Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3; 20 × 30 in $5 Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/new-moon-and-evening-star-nga-146847).