Shade of Napoleon c. 1935

Editor: Here we have Clifford Berryman’s "Shade of Napoleon," an ink and pen drawing from around 1935. There's Napoleon, looking less than pleased standing in a graveyard! I find the combination of historical figure and political commentary quite striking. What’s your take on this piece? Curator: It strikes me as funny and subtly insightful—like a well-delivered jab at political hubris, something Berryman was quite skilled at, in his long career as a cartoonist. Imagine old Napoleon, regretting the Louisiana Purchase because the state has fallen under the sway of another, as he calls it, 'dictator.' There’s a delicious irony in history repeating itself in such a way, don’t you think? Do you catch the artist's clever jab at Huey Long's politics here? Editor: Yes, absolutely! Long's policies were controversial, and the caricature really drives that home. Is that a political cartoon reference for then-contemporary audiences, right? Curator: Precisely! And notice the setting: Napoleon standing in a graveyard. It lends this scene a ghostly and timeless quality. Death and taxes, my dear! Political cycles as well, it seems. The composition leads the eye to Napoleon and then down to the headline referring to Huey Long’s rule over Louisiana. See the way the vertical lines, created by tombstones and trees, focus our gaze and heighten the somewhat dark and amusing message of the artwork? It feels…ominous and witty at once, yes? Editor: I hadn't considered how those vertical lines direct your sight. I initially missed the slightly dark humor, I was stuck on the historical reference. Thanks! I’m seeing new dimensions to the artwork, and, as usual, there's way more going on than I realized. Curator: Isn’t that always the joy of delving into art? Things always have more layers and hidden meanings than what seems apparent initially.