Battlefield with Soldier on Horseback (Napoleon?) 1805 - 1815

Antoine-Jean Gros made this drawing, "Battlefield with Soldier on Horseback," using pen and brown ink on paper. The energetic lines convey the chaos of battle. Gros was a student of Jacques-Louis David, and later became Napoleon's propagandist. His images helped to shape the legend of the French leader. The drawing is relatively small, so was likely made in preparation for a larger painting. Yet it has a striking immediacy, as if Gros were sketching the scene from life. Notice how the relatively simple materials – paper and ink – are handled with great confidence. The strokes are quick, capturing the movement of the horses and the drama of the scene. By focusing on the process of drawing, we can appreciate Gros's skill in transforming humble materials into a powerful image. It reminds us that even the grandest historical narratives are built from individual marks and gestures.