A Bacchic procession 1510 - 1561

Battista Franco made this drawing, A Bacchic Procession, with pen and brown ink on paper. Its lines capture a scene teeming with frenzied motion and emotion. Franco uses a horizontal format, filling the space with figures that create a sense of depth through overlapping and varying line weights. Look at how the composition guides your eye from left to right, following the flow of the procession. The linear quality emphasizes form, and the lack of color directs focus to the dynamic interplay of figures and their gestures. The drawing's strength lies in its ability to convey movement and energy. This is achieved through the structural arrangement of figures and the varying pressure of the pen strokes. The semiotic system at play here uses classical imagery to explore themes of ecstasy and ritual.