The artist then chose the exact instant to be depicted, the angle to be considered between the extreme right- and left-hand field of vision which had to contain, in accordance with precise instructions, all the necessary details so that the picture would be as close to truth as possible, making it both a historical document and a work of art.

Bagetti complies with these instructions as far as he can, but he cannot always put everything into the picture that he has been asked to.  The view of the battlefield is the basis of the work.  After calculating the angles and the distances, he sketched one or more general views of the battlefield.  This first stage determined the final choice of vantage point.  Later, this preparatory drawing, in which the pen and water-colour bring out the terrain and light, was used as a cartoon.  The second stage of the work was the difficult choice of the vantage point and moment to be depicted.  In general, when Bagetti had to depict a vantage point overlooking hilly terrain, it was normally very easy to find a position on the battlefield and he just had to paint the scene as he saw it and then insert the figures.

But it was a different matter when he drew flat terrain where the people and details in the foreground hid those on the horizon.  Similarly, a picture of a battle that uses as a basis the terrain that can actually be seen, often loses all authenticity as a historical document because it is no longer possible to show the positions of the armies and to give an overview of the battle unless only a very small episode is depicted.  In these situations Bagetti gives the view as seen by someone on horseback.  This view better exalts Bonaparte, provides a full view of troop movements and shows the effect of tactical decisions on the battlefield.  The scenario represents the decisive moment in which Bonaparte turned the course of history in his favour.  The position from which he observes and directs is a distinct point that provides the correct vantage point and enables the correct decision to be made.  The water-colour places Bonaparte in a glorious position at the moment of the historical decision, and it is his military genius that impresses meaning to a placing otherwise considered  neutral.

In the depiction of the landscape nature is the 'stage':  it is certainly the theatre of operations but it is also a manifestation of nature's abundance.  The diverse sites, the great number of rivers and streams and the variety of vegetation are depicted with extreme precision that shows the influence of the military topographer.  His presence is felt in all the views.  The landscape occupies an essential position.  It is the main 'actor' of the scene with all its romantic qualities.

For the artists of the D�p�t de la Guerre, the classical composition is only a means of depicting a landscape.  A closed structure is represented as a theatrical scene, the spirit of which is a small wood or an escarpment with the main object in the centre, well situated in a village or bounded in the distance by the subtle natural scenery.  If such a structure does not exist in nature it is created artificially.

The human figure is almost always present, but not always identifiable in the views of the Italian landscapes:  sometimes the minuscule moving groups depict, or rather represent, marching divisions.  As far as pre-Romantic painting permits, the project of the Italian series made it necessary to create a coherent whole that was at the basis of a stylistic unity and method of execution for all the artists concerned, taking its inspiration from the rules as a whole, which are applied essentially to topographical work.  This contributes to the quality of the Italian series, the homogeneity of which is such that today it is difficult to attribute certain works to a given artist.

Bagetti and his colleagues continued their work for the entire duration of the Empire.  Bagetti's water-colours for the Italian campaign make up a collection of 68 works.