A couple weeks ago, I visited the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth to see the special exhibit. Titled "Faces from the Interior: The North American Portraits of Karl Bodmer", it featured over 60 watercolors from the artist's travels, mostly along the Missouri River. These works depict the leaders and lifestyles of many Native American nations that he encountered along the way.
What immediately caught my eye was the level of realism and detail that Bodmer achieved in these watercolor portraits. The faces he painted achieved such a likeness to his subjects that they were recognizable by those who knew them. Individual strands in the feathers were visible. The clothing was filled with intricate patterns with delicate bead necklaces laid over top. He even captured some poses that appeared to be in action. The fascinating part of this, was that he painted these on his travels in 1833-1834. He wouldn't have been carrying around a camera to take pictures to work from later. These paintings were done with the people posing live for him.
This then made me curious how long the paintings took. Some took up to three days, some a couple hours. The people he painted also spent time in preparation. One of the exhibit signs explained that "when time permitted, Bodmer's sitters often spent hours preparing for their portraits. Face paint designs, hairstyles, and attire communicated a person's status, achievements, and personal taste." Once, however, Bodmer painted a man on a boat as he traveled upriver - this was obviously a much quicker painting with much less preparation on both parts.
Three day portrait compared to the portrait on the boat
With this in mind, it was interesting to note his process. A large number of his paintings were left unfinished, with the graphite lines still showing through. A display sign explained that Bodmer would start with a quick graphite sketch, and then begin painting the details that he found most interesting and important. These were often the faces and the clothing.
One portrait, though he did paint it and finish it, he painted in black and white. This was the one I chose to do a sketch of while I was there.
It was so neat to see this style of painting and learn about all the details, such as what each clothing item symbolizes. By observing his working method through seeing the unfinished pieces, I learned a bit on how to make the most of live drawing time. Overall, it was a beneficial experience and I learned about an artist I hadn't heard of before whose style, medium, and subject matter I loved.