COVE

This painting was done by William Sadler II in June 1815. It is an oil painting that currently resides in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.  It depics the Battle of Waterloo in which Napoleon Bonaparte fought against their English foes who were led by the Duke of Wellington, their Prussian foes led by Gebhard Lebercht von Blucher,  as well as foes from the Netherlands, Hanover, the Duchy of Nassau, and the Principality of Bruswick-Wolfenbuttel. The painting shows the battle as one of many losses. All throughout the painting, dead soliders are piled atop each other in stacks. Leaders of the battle are shown to be on horseback, and are also depicted and signified with long white feathers in their caps. The few trees in the image are broken and dull, nearly colorless even. Because of this dullness, the color red-- the color of the French soldiers-- is most prominent within the painting. The French being shown in red is important to talk about, due to the many meanings associated with the color. Red is the color of heroism, of passion, violence, and adventure. It is a very extreme color, and because of the lack of other extreme colors in this painting, it takes on even more meaning. It is an expression of Napolean's conquest, and the Battle of Waterloo itself. By showing this red where it is shown, it symbolizes the violent passion of Napolean's self proclaimed heroism within the battle. It also shows the consequenses of Napolean's actions, as this battle marked the end of his reign, his power. The red was the blood of all he had gained, but it was also the red of everything he lost.