Geschiedkundig vertelsel over keizer Napoleon I 1894 - 1959

This illustrated print, *Geschiedkundig vertelsel over keizer Napoleon I*, was made by Gordinne. It's one of those things where you can really imagine the artist in their studio, maybe with a cup of coffee, carefully drawing each scene with ink, then adding the colors in a really controlled way. It's like they're building this little world, one tiny scene at a time, shifting and emerging through trial, error, and intuition. I can imagine Gordinne thinking about how to capture the essence of Napoleon's story in these small vignettes, playing with the colors to evoke different moods, maybe feeling a sense of responsibility to history while also wanting to make something visually appealing. There is a sense of capturing feelings, intentions and meanings. It reminds me of other narrative painters, like maybe some of the history painters or even comic book artists, who are all in this ongoing conversation about how to tell stories through pictures. It’s as if the artist is passing along a message that embraces ambiguity, allowing for multiple interpretations.