Geschiedkundig vertelsel over keizer Napoleon I 1894 - 1959

This illustrated sheet, “Geschiedkundig vertelsel over keizer Napoleon I,” of unknown date, by Gordinne, is printed using some kind of color lithography, you can see the keys printed in black. What I mean by that, is that the lines and text are all in black, and then the colors are printed on top. The way the colours are applied seems almost casual, like a coloring book, but it gives the whole piece a feeling of accessibility. Look at the panel in the top right, it has these little red roof tiles, and the artist has extended this red down onto the path where the figure is walking. It’s crude, but it really adds to the narrative tone, like a comic strip. It reminds me a little of Martin Ramirez, in the way it approaches history as storytelling, where clarity and precision are less important than imagination. Art is about ideas, and sometimes the most direct way to express an idea is to leave it open to interpretation, not nailed down.