Soldaat die een vijand onderwerpt c. 1701

Jacob Toorenvliet made this drawing, titled "Soldaat die een vijand onderwerpt," with pen in gray on paper. Without knowing when it was made, it is challenging to tie it to a specific conflict. We can still think about it within a long history of conquest and oppression. The drawing depicts a soldier standing over a defeated enemy, a scene imbued with the visual rhetoric of dominance. Consider the power dynamics at play here, the stark contrast between the standing, armed soldier and the subjugated figure beneath his foot. How does Toorenvliet use the bodies and gestures to convey such stark differences in power? What does it mean to witness such a scene? What kind of emotional response does that invoke in you? "Soldaat die een vijand onderwerpt" prompts us to consider the social narratives that normalize such power dynamics. It asks us to reflect on our role as viewers and witnesses to such acts of subjugation.