Frontispiece for L'Illustration Nouvelle: The Burial of the Burin

Félix-Hilaire Buhot

National Gallery of Art

The image contains swirling and angular lines creating an abstract composition. There is a bold, curved shape on the right side resembling a steam locomotive, with a smokestack. On the left, finer lines form clusters of small figures. In the background, there are sketches resembling birds in flight against a muted backdrop. The abstract design leaves room for interpretation, connecting elements with familiar objects such as a train, a group of people, and birds in a cloudy sky.