The Second Exile of Napoleon
Two weeks ago I found myself snared in the tendrils of Wikipedia and happened across the subject of Napoleon’s final campaigns. The abridged version I heard in school ended with the former French emperor’s defeat and exile to the island of Elba, where I had always assumed was where he spent his final years.
It turns out that he spent only enough time on Elba to amass another army and escape to European shores in an attempt to retake his country. After picking up new allies on the trail back home, he was eventually defeated one final time in the face of overwhelming odds at Waterloo. He was then exiled again, this time to Saint Helena ( one of the most remote islands on the planet ).
It seemed like a good excuse to practice some illustration techniques, so I made this depiction of an aging, exhausted Napoleon coming to terms with the last piece of land he’d ever see.
I’m finally getting used to inking, but there’s still more to learn about backgrounds and painting.
Hey, that’s pretty good.
Able was I, ere I saw Elba.
