July 13, 2018
“THE REVOLUTION WILL BE TRIVIALIZED”
by Tristan Eaton
Inspired by radical and liberal ideals France overthrew its monarchy in 1789, and while the impact on the course of the world was profound it also led to a decade of turmoil that opened the door for the ensuing dictatorship of Napoleon. In Paris in 2014 for the Nuit Blanche Festival, Eaton used the highly idealized portrait of “Napoleon Crossing the Alps” as a starting point for this beautifully complex layering of textures, styles and compelling details painted on Rue Chevaleret. In a world where everything is protested and it’s increasingly difficult to distinguish the opportunistic from the momentous, he says the work is “a tongue in cheek play on the famous Gil Scott Heron quote: ‘The revolution will not be televised.’” Four years later, there has certainly been no decline in things to protest, but Eaton’s underlying questions are no less worthy of consideration. @tristaneaton
