- In May 1796, Gros, a young miniaturist arrived with the army and overheard talk in the great Caffe dei servi, of the exploits of the Archduke, who happened to be extremly fat. He sketched an image of a soilder thrusting his bayonet into the obese Archduke's belly:intead of blood out poured an incredible quanity of grain.
- 20,000 copies of this image were sold that evening.
- The uphevel turned over 3 days later, mainly due to the graphic design influence.
- Rather than simply overturning the greedy tyrant, Gros is also doing his own part in cementing French domination of the Milanese, replacing Austro-Hungarian/Spanish dominance.
- A scrap of a torn menu has been left on a cafe table, left behind for others to find, others who know what the artist knows- that a violent, unjust, crinimal order is overdue for abolishment.
"Stendhal chooses Antoine-Jean Gros's little act of graphic design to emblematize a turning point in political consciousness"
"An image on a poster, brand new yet long expected, possesing the power of the uncanny, as if an complete stranger on the street had stepped up to you and spoken clearly something deeply familiar but also deeply private, something you belived only you or very few others like you belived."
"It is even more of a miricle that the act of forcing the imposible is, in the history of political revolution, often catalyzed by something as flimsy as a poster plastered on a wall- the perfect poster on the perfect wall at the perfect moment"
"what's miraculous is not that great graphic design, employing shock, wit, and clarity borne of urgency, can move people to action, to acts of courage and sacrafice, overcoming habit and fear. Art cant do anything but change people-but art changes people and people can make anything change"
"These posters, these works of art, have a restorative power. Each is an argument that stamps itself indelibly in on the soul of the passer by"
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