Le Guerrier Combattant

Written at the request of Maxime Zecchini, Le Guerrier combattant is the third piece in my Études-Statues cycle. The dedicatee chose this Hellenistic-era work (circa 100 BC), also known as the Borghese Gladiator, to inspire me. It depicts a warrior in the act of combat: its author is said to be Agasias of Ephesus, son of Dositheos.

Walking through the Galerie Daru in the Louvre Museum (where the work is now on display), I was struck by the power and self-sacrifice it exudes. With muscles taut and tense, left hand and arm raised as a sign of rebellion, this study for the left hand transcribes the very idea of combat. From the lowest to the highest notes, the warrior prepares, analyzes and anticipates. A song from the depths of time gives him courage before the storm, violent but without artifice. Finally, like a sweet song of fleeting victory, the first idea, soothed, serves as an ornament to the final sacred song; adorned with the missing note, this “G” brings him back to earth, even if his spirit will always be carried heavenward.

Benoît Menut