Standing Soldier 1990

This drawing of a standing soldier by Abraham Bloemaert is made using pen and ink, and wash on paper. The drawing has an exploratory feel. I can imagine Bloemaert in his studio, circling this character, trying to find him on the page. What was he thinking when he made this soldier? I'm wondering if he was interested in the costume and gesture, rather than the individual. There's a theatrical feel in the rendering of the flowing fabrics and feathered headdress, contrasted against the firm, almost cartoonish posture of the figure. The washes are thin, but deftly applied to describe the fall of light and shadow. It reminds me of other artists who used drawing to work things out: think of Pisanello, and the way he drew animals over and over again. You get a sense of the joy of looking and drawing as an act of discovery. It is as if artists throughout time are in conversation with one another, inspiring and building upon each other's creative explorations.