The Corsican Ogre
Fergus, Age 18
This piece was the conclusion of an investigation into Napoleon and his reputation. Not only is Napoleon viewed in a variety of ways in modern day, but also during his lifetime. The nicknames given to him offer insight into this: Little Boney, Il Mostro, and Caporal La Violette to name a few. I decided to focus on one: The Corsican Ogre. Notably, Napoleon also weaponised his image to inspire his troops, or to cause fear. The concept of a puppet represents not the actual man, but the image of The Corsican Ogre, a twisted, ruthless bogeyman. The puppeteer would be Napoleon himself. The marionettes design is inspired from traditional Czech wood-carved puppets, such as those by the artist Krčál. The face design was developed from a series of caricature pieces, which were influenced by Tony Scherman's Napoleon series.