Udaipur

Udaipur, created in 1916, depicts the Rajasthani lake city often called the "Venice of the East" for its extraordinary concentration of palaces, temples, and havelis rising from the shores of Lake Pichola. Founded in 1559 by Maharana Udai Singh II, Udaipur became the capital of the Mewar kingdom after the fall of the great fortress at Chittorgarh, and its rulers built a succession of white marble palaces along the lakefront that create one of the most romantic cityscapes in India.

Bartlett's color woodcut captures the distinctive visual character of Udaipur: the white palaces reflected in the lake's surface, the Aravalli Hills rising behind the city, and the warm golden light of Rajasthan. The lake setting gave Bartlett an opportunity to exploit the woodblock medium's affinity for depicting water and reflections, while the white marble architecture echoed the pale tones he had used to such effect in his Taj Mahal prints. Udaipur's compressed, vertical cityscape, rising tier upon tier from the water's edge, created a naturally compelling composition.