De exercitie met schild en spies: de soldaat legt de spies naast zijn rechtervoet op de grond (nr. 16), 1618 1616 - 1618

Adam van Breen's drawing from 1618, rendered in pen and ink with watercolor, presents a study in the geometric and the human form. Here, a soldier is captured in a moment of precise choreography. The composition centers on the verticality of the figure, which is bisected by the horizontal thrust of the spear. Note how Breen uses color to differentiate the textures of metal, fabric, and flesh. The cool blues and grays of the armor contrast sharply with the warmer tones of the soldier's attire and skin. The drawing serves less as a portrait and more as a semiotic diagram. The soldier’s posture, the placement of his spear, and the angle of his shield function as signs within a larger system of military protocol. In this sense, Breen's work anticipates later structuralist thought, suggesting that individual actions are always part of an overarching, codified structure. The drawing presents a view of humanity where individual expression is mediated and molded by external systems.