Overval op een legertros 1583 - 1647

Sebastiaen Vrancx made this drawing, "Overval op een legertros", with pen in brown ink on paper. The sense of immediacy comes from the directness of the mark, which sacrifices precision for speed. The artist skillfully captures the chaos of a military ambush. Note the dynamic lines of the horses and figures, and the loose hatching used to suggest the uneven terrain. This kind of drawing might have been made on site, or back in the studio to consolidate Vrancx's memory of a skirmish. In either case, it is worth noting that this kind of image was essentially reportage. As such, it was designed to be reproduced in print, and widely disseminated. Here, drawing becomes a method of mass communication, and, to a certain extent, propaganda. It's a reminder that even the humblest of media can play a significant role in shaping public opinion, and political reality.