Napoleon

by Gérard Gengembre

"Astre ou desastre - brilliant star or utter disaster, liberator or dictator, divine savior or parvenue opportunist - such is the dichotomy that lies at the heart of the enduring appeal of the Napoleonic legend. Always alert to the power of myth, Bonaparte made sure that he projected the right image at every stage of his astounding career, from the thin-faced, long-haired young man of action painted by Gros in the 1790s through David's new Hannibal crossing the Alps on horseback (1800) to the Zeus-like emperor portrayed by Ingres in 1806. Even in death, the fallen idol inspired the great...

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