Die Bockenheimer Warte zu Frankfurt am Main 

Anton Radl created this watercolour painting of Die Bockenheimer Warte in Frankfurt am Main. Watercolour allows for smooth, blended washes of pigment, as we can see in the sky. But look at the way Radl has used individual brushstrokes of slightly different colours to describe the rough stonework of the tower. It is a slow, additive process that mirrors the work of the original builders. The Bockenheimer Warte was a medieval watchtower, one of a series of fortifications protecting the city. But here, it’s not presented as a site of military power. Instead, Radl depicts it as a space of everyday life; people are going about their business, a dog wanders in the foreground, a woman and child stand by the walls. By focusing on the material substance of the tower and the human activity around it, Radl transforms a symbol of civic authority into a more intimate scene. He emphasizes the way places are shaped by both design and the lives lived within them.