Der ehemalige Schneidwall (Festungswerk) 

Anton Radl made this watercolor painting of a former fortress in Germany in the early 19th century. You can see the layered application of the transparent washes, one on top of the other, to render the monumental architecture with subtle gradations of tone. Radl has built this image through thin layers of pigment and water, allowing the whiteness of the paper to shine through. This technique, quite unlike the laborious construction of an oil painting, lends itself to the subject matter: massive stone walls, now softened by time and weather, and a delicate, overcast sky. The soft application of the material belies the original purpose of the construction: to protect the city from outside attack. The artist shows us that the function of the building has been transformed into a picturesque element of the urban landscape, a scene of everyday life rather than military might. This shift reminds us that materials and making are always entangled with broader social and political realities.