 Humboldt was not primarily an artist, but he could draw well, allowing him to record a visual record of particular places and their natural environment.Many of his drawings became the basis for illustrations of his many scientific and general publications.Artists whom Humboldt influenced, such as Johann Moritz Rugendas, followed in his path and painted the same places Humboldt had visited and recorded, such as the basalt formations in Mexico, which was an illustration in his "Vues des Cordillères".