Alfred Maurer's Le Sentier c. 1908 is an enchanting oil painting that reflects the artist’s engagement with modernism and his journey away from traditional, representational art, towards a more abstract and expressive style. This captivating work, depicting a serene, tree-lined path or "sentier," is characterised by a soft yet vivid palette, where the colours meld and swirl to record the energy and ambiance of the scene. Maurer, known for his exploration of colour and form during his years as a scholar in Paris, uses confident brushstrokes that suggest rather than precisely depict the scene, emphasizing the emotional essence of the landscape rather than its realistic detail.

This piece affectively shows Maurer’s transition towards a style influenced by both French Post-Impressionism and the early developments of abstraction. The painting suggests a sense of tranquillity or contemplation, inviting one to imagine themselves taking a stroll along the path, absorbed in the rolling landscape. The simplified shapes and the almost dreamlike quality of the scene demonstrates Maurer's interest in summarizing the essence of nature by capturing both the aesthetic and emotional experience that a place can evoke. In this light, Le Sentier does not merely depict a scene but captures a mood, a fleeting moment, and the artist’s unique vision of the world.

In the broader context of his work, Le Sentier works as a great example of Maurer’s innovative approach to landscape painting, exploring the relationship between nature, colour, and the subjective experience of the viewer.