A Bit Rusty

Mein lustig hundlein. He helps me get through everything.

“It’s you that I lie with...

...as the world caves in”

My artwork of the “Triassic Cuddle” fossil: remains of an amphibian Broomistega nestled against a synapsid Thrinaxodon, with a debated explanation to how they ended up together.  The romanticized tale being that in the terror of the Great Dying, just about the most extreme mass extinction ever on Earth, these two unfortunate creates cuddled together in a burrow before being suddenly drowned in a flash flood.  Though the time of death alone is questioned, it makes for a tragic yet warming story of comfort between species.

My digital portrait of Prince Józef Poniatowski.

Poniatowski was a ardent Polish nationalist who supported Napoléon in an effort to see Poland reestablished as a independent country.  As many Poles viewed Napoléon as a means to these goal, Poniatowski served as a symbol as well when he was given the title of Marshal which further encouraged their support.

 My digital portrait of Maximilien Robespierre;

 - Robespierre was one of the lead members of the Committee of Public Safety and was deeply involved in the infamous Reign of Terror in which thousands of people were executed by guillotine.  History has painted very mixed views on figures such as him, so I found it to be a interesting project to approach.

To read a bit on my general opinion and approach on the struggle of reproducing his face, feel free to keep reading below:

“ When I find myself falling, and I hit the bottom, It only makes me laugh” “I don't know if it's right or wrong, to laugh at misfortune, Darkness can never last too long” - Danny Elfman 

Squawking cries amidst the diming autumn sunset and illuminated under the glowing harvest moon, this beastly scarecrow marks the approach of Halloween.

200 years ago today, Napoléon Bonaparte died: May 5th, 1821, shortly before 6pm.

Here is an extremely brief overview of his person: Living in a turbulent time of change, Napoléon rose from obscurity as a Corsican nationalist into one of the most prominent figures of all time.  A meteoric rise as both a political and military figure saw him influence Europe for around 20 years and permanently change the political climate.  He was an outsider to the long established monarchs of the time and represented a new mode of thinking, thusly appearing as a natural enemy to the leading  Powers of Europe - Britain, Austria, Prussia, and Russia to name a few.  Having a powerful grasp on the concepts of warfare made him a force to be feared and recognized.

Although extremely talented and knowledgeable, Napoléon never quite trusted his subordinates with too much control.  Paradoxically he put his faith into political allies that were potentially dangerous under anyone’s rule.  As his Empire grew, it became unwieldy, and his ambitions threw his world out of balance.

Just as fiery as Napoléon’s rise was, such was the fall of his Empire.  He was eventually imprisoned on the extremely remote island of St. Helena, where he was kept under constant watch by the British government under Sir Hudson Lowe.  Concern for control over the Emperor rather than his comfort and well-being lead to a very constricting and bleak confinement of 6 years.  During his final years, his health began to falter in response to many undefined factors.  So enigmatic were his final years that debates today still clash over the reasons and situations of his death, one hot day in May.

Napoléon was born on a homely island in 1769 on August 15th.  In the end he died 1821 May 5th, on an distant island, removed from the world.  Having led a dramatic life, he was just 51 years old at the time of his death.  We may only ponder how many more years he could have lived under different circumstances.

(In time I hope to write out a long and involved overview of his life and all the paradoxical facets of his being.)

-----

May 5th, 2021 - Oil Painting  - Le prisonnier