Krijgsman begroet een oude man 1571 - 1602

Toussaint Dubreuil made this drawing, “Krijgsman begroet een oude man”, sometime in the late 16th century. Dubreuil was one of the last artists of the French Mannerist school, a style which valued the artificial over the natural. Here, we see elongated figures arranged in a somewhat chaotic composition. There’s a theatrical quality to the gestures and poses that speaks to the performative nature of power, as well as the chaos of war. France in the late 16th century was a country torn apart by religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants. As a court painter, Dubreuil was expected to create artwork that supported the monarchy and the Catholic establishment. Art in this period was used as a tool to shape public opinion and reinforce the authority of the state. To understand this drawing better, we might look to historical records of the French Wars of Religion and also consider the role of the French court as a patron of the arts. By understanding the social and institutional context of this drawing, we can gain a deeper appreciation of its meaning and significance.