Napoleon Views His Rising Star 

Editor: So here we have "Napoleon Views His Rising Star," a pencil drawing by Alphonse Mucha. It feels like a sketch, raw and immediate. There's this immense, serene face looming over Napoleon; it's quite a striking juxtaposition. What do you make of it? Curator: Ah, yes. I see Napoleon not as a conqueror in this fleeting image, but a dreamer, a seeker of destiny almost childlike in his wonder. Notice how the “star” isn't some distant celestial body but this almost maternal figure. Mucha, I suspect, plays with Napoleon’s self-mythology. This isn’t history, it's a stage for personal aspiration and perhaps anxiety. The rising star feels less like triumph, and more like an ethereal mother. The lines, so delicate for a subject so robust! Does it soften the General in your mind? Editor: Definitely. I hadn't really picked up on the maternal aspect, but now that you mention it, the serenity in the face contrasts wildly with Napoleon's ambition. I suppose I was too focused on identifying Napoleon as the central figure that the female face had receded in significance for me initially! It makes you wonder if Mucha is celebrating or critiquing him. Curator: Precisely! Isn’t that delicious uncertainty part of its magic? And in just pencil marks! A dream is like a half written tale that is left open to many ends, after all. So, maybe it’s up to us. Whose gaze do we trust? Is it Mucha, Napoleon, or our own that guides this moment? Editor: That's a really fascinating take. I think I'm going to need to look at Mucha’s work in a different light from now on. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure. The joy is in seeing new stars together!