King Nikola Refereeing to the Montenegrin Army in Cetinje That Turks Have Yield Town of Scutari to the Montenegrins 1913

Achille Beltrame made this illustration, probably in ink and gouache, for La Domenica del Corriere. I can imagine Beltrame sketching away at his desk, thinking about how to capture the feeling of this wild celebration. He's got to think about how to show this electric moment of joy in the city. The way the figures are arranged, with the King on the balcony, suggests that he wanted to draw a connection between the ruler and his people. The color palette is pretty limited to reds, whites, and blues, but that makes sense given the flags. The reds are vibrant and the hats are tossed up in the air, which gives the scene a real energy, like it could burst right off the page. I wonder what it felt like to be there that day? There's a great sense of dynamism, the kind that reminds us that art, whether it’s a quick illustration or a big history painting, is always speaking to the moment it's made in.