Chasing Napoleon

This cycle of psychologically charged portraits of Napoleon Bonaparte describes him at the crucial conjunctures of his life. Battlefield genius, despotic emperor, megalomaniac conqueror, derided hero... each of these possible incarnations of Napoleon flickers through Scherman's paintings. Central to their power is his use of encaustic on canvas (a mixture of wax and pigments). Also included are paintings evoking the protagonists and events of the French Revolution, some of which are disturbingly juxtaposed with their perceived counterparts in the Third Reich.In addition to the images, three texts explore Scherman's work in detail: Jacques Henric provides an account of the cultural and historical importance of Scherman's work; Hans Belting and David Moos discuss the execution of the Napoleon series; and an interview with Tony Scherman by Sanford Kwinter and Bruce Mau illuminates his motivation and practice.