Gevangenneming van Murat, 1815 1815

Wijnand Esser created this watercolor titled "Gevangenneming van Murat, 1815" using paper and paint. The material itself is quite humble. Watercolor, unlike oil paint, doesn't offer much opportunity for rework. Here, Esser uses the smooth surface of the paper to his advantage. The thin washes of color help give a sense of movement to the depicted scene of Joachim Murat being carted away after his capture. The artist takes inspiration from the everyday experience of political life. The artist has also inscribed witty commentary on the barrel. It is an unusual choice of material for such a politically charged scene, but perhaps that’s the point. The subject is literally contained in the work, made comical through the contrast with the sharp seriousness of the soldiers that convey him. Esser makes a statement about the materials, and the relationship of those materials to history itself.