Statue of Standing Warrior on a Pedestal n.d.

Giovanni Battista Castello rendered this pen and brown ink drawing, "Statue of Standing Warrior on a Pedestal," sometime in the 16th century. Castello was working in a time and place that embraced the concept of the "uomo universale," the idea that one could become accomplished in all realms of intellectual and artistic pursuit. The artist's warrior stands as a figure of authority and power; the pedestal on which the warrior stands bears an inscription, further reinforcing the symbolic weight of the figure. But what kind of authority does this figure embody? What does his masculinity represent? Castello lived and worked in a patriarchal society, where men held most of the power. The warrior’s stance and accoutrements seem to echo a desire to maintain a stronghold on this authority. This drawing prompts us to consider the ways in which gender, power, and representation intersect, and how the visual arts both reflect and shape societal norms.