Kinder mit Schubkarren auf einem Landweg 1909

Ferdinand Balzer painted "Children with Wheelbarrows on a Country Road" in watercolor, a medium often associated with fleeting moments, a quick capturing of the everyday. Here, three boys are seen from behind, walking away from us into a field. There is one pushing a wheelbarrow, the other two are accompanying him. Balzer was part of a generation grappling with social change, one that was increasingly attentive to the lives of those on the margins. The bare feet of the children speak to their economic status, but there is also a sense of freedom in the way Balzer depicts them. The artist offers a glimpse into a world where childhood is both a time of work and perhaps of play. The muted tones, the vast expanse of the field, all contribute to an emotional landscape of rural life, one where the personal and societal dimensions are closely intertwined. We are left to consider the weight of their labor, and perhaps, the lightness of their dreams.