Au Bord de la Bÿrse près de Pierre-pertuis (Original Title) 

Balthasar Anton Dunker created this watercolor and pen and ink drawing, Au Bord de la Bÿrse près de Pierre-pertuis. The choice of watercolor and ink lends itself to the delicate details that define this landscape. The thin washes of color mimic the transparency of the flowing water and the soft diffusion of light across the scene. The pen and ink work is interesting, though, because we can see it was executed by hand, and the human hand is, of course, always subject to error. In a modern print, we'd expect clean lines, perfectly regular. But Dunker is more interested in observation, in capturing the scene before him, with all its imperfections. Dunker's labor-intensive approach is a reminder of the value placed on craftsmanship during this period, a time when the art world was experiencing shifts from traditional practices to more industrialized methods. His rendering reminds us of the human presence in the landscape, both in terms of artistic creation and the depiction of everyday life.