OCR Text |
Show Throughout the course of the investigation it is evident that science and art share similar concerns. Both attempt to reconstruct specific situations and seek objective criteria by which this reconstruction can take place. The successful collaboration of these two fields is exemplified in the publication of Maximilian's travelbook and Bodmer's illustrations. Over the years, the value of the aquatints as works of art has been discounted. Recently, the value of the aquatints as documents has also diminished, as the original watercolors, rediscovered in the 1950s, have slowly replaced them in serious historical and ethnological studies. Nonetheless, it is clear that the aquatints still have much to offer to scholars in these fields, as well as to art historians. Careful comparisons of the original watercolors and the subsequent aquatints allow the fullest details of the events Maximilian and Bodmer witnessed to unfold. The findings of this examination demonstrate the relevance of future interdisciplinary inquiries, as information drawn from diverse fields can clearly augment and enhance the understanding of each to each. |