Snow c. 1910

George Elbert Burr created this print, called *Snow,* at an unknown date, using etching. Looking at the image, I can almost feel Burr coaxing a sense of depth and atmosphere from the stark black and white. I wonder how he felt, working in these subdued tones – probably contemplating the quiet, muffled stillness of a snow-covered landscape. The bare trees stand like silent witnesses, their branches etched with delicate lines that mimic the intricate patterns of nature itself. It reminds me a little of Whistler’s etchings, with that same attention to tonal nuance. Burr and Whistler both offer ways of seeing the world, but also ways of feeling it. Artists, across time and space, we’re all just trying to capture a fleeting moment, an emotion, a sensation, and pass it on.