A Roman Warrior with Fasces 1666

Leendert van der Cooghen created this small drawing of a Roman Warrior with Fasces on paper sometime in the 17th century. Notice how the composition immediately directs our focus to the muscular back of the warrior. Cooghen employs densely packed, fine lines to delineate the form and create tonal variation. The figure's contrapposto stance, with his weight shifted onto one leg, introduces a dynamic asymmetry. This is a classical motif used to imbue the figure with a sense of potential energy and movement, but it simultaneously serves to unbalance the composition and create a sense of instability. The pen and ink medium further enhance the tension, the stark contrast between light and shadow creating a dramatic, almost theatrical effect. What we have here is not merely a representation of a warrior but a study in contrasts: power and vulnerability, action and contemplation, classical ideals and baroque drama. This dynamic tension invites us to question the established meanings of heroism and power.