Hohlweg mit sandigem Boden, auf welchem ein kleines Mädchen schreitet 1907

Ferdinand Balzer made this watercolor, titled Hohlweg mit sandigem Boden, auf welchem ein kleines Mädchen schreitet, with delicate washes, layering translucent colors to build up a luminous landscape. The way he teases out different textures and shades of sandy brown, really grabs my attention, it's so skillfully done! Look closely at the foreground. You can almost feel the gritty texture of the path under your feet. He doesn't try to hide the brushstrokes either, letting each mark contribute to the overall effect. That solitary figure, a little girl with a red hat, adds a touch of humanity to the scene. She's so small against the vastness of the landscape. It reminds me of some of Gustave Courbet's landscape paintings where people are at one with nature. Balzer seems to be showing us that the real subject here is the earth itself. A truly remarkable artist.