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Show 115 majority of Travels' illustrations were portraits and composite scenes, involving reproduction of the human figure. It was in this area that Bodmer was weak. His portrait watercolors, for example, while incredibly rich in regalia and facial detail, lacked complete anatomical accuracy, making the figures themselves seem somewhat awkward and flat. It was in Bodmer's careful choice of etchers-especially in the selection of Hurlimann-that this deficiency was overcome. Similarly, the composite aquatints, while often using landscape watercolors for the background, required a deeper understanding of the human figure than Bodmer possessed. While Bodmer undoubtedly composed the scenes himself, drawing upon his original sketches and Parisian models as well as his memory--and thus striking a balance between documentary accuracy and artisitic composition-he relied heavily upon the etchers for accuracy of the figures inserted into these composite scenes. Bodmer assured Maximilian that he had sufficient sketches of various Indian activities, including hunting and dancing scenes, so it would be possible to insert active groups into some of his landscapes; Bodmer was confident that these composite plates could be so developed to include the information Maximilian thought important, without dedicating separate plates for every subject. Bodmer was well aware of the documentary importance of the prints. The attention to detail and the accuracy with which he had developed the aquatint Scalp Dance has already been demonstrated. It is, however, evident that for the composite prints, the purposes of art were in ascendance and would determine what the images would ultimately be. |