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| "Woman in the Bathroom" (2002) |
I distinctly remember the first time I saw a painting by Fernando Botero. I was going to a lecture at Artis-Naples, and the corridors surrounding the theater were filled with works by the Colombian artist. I didn't know quite what to make of them. The people portrayed were so engaging -- and so rotund, to put it politely.
I now know that Botero viewed his characters as sensuous rather than, well, fat. His figures claim the space around them. Everything in his art is supersized, not just the humans. It gives his work an exuberance that always makes me smile.
When I learned that Sotheby's would be home to a Botero exhibit during my visit to New York, the show was added to my list of "must see art." I wasn't sure what to expect at the venue, though. Would it be a regular exhibit, or would salespeople hover around visitors in hopes of a sale? Did I need to wear my pearls? Happily, it was a straight up exhibit -- with some buying opportunities if you have very deep pockets. Organized in collaboration with The Botero Foundation, there are 25 paintings on display. What a treat of a show.
Botero didn't come out of the womb with a desire to be a professional artist. Instead, he wanted to be a matador. He even went to school for two years to learn the art of bullfighting.Yikes! Eventually, young Fernando realized it was safer to make paintings of bulls than to fight them. (Digression: I was going to say "paint" bulls, but that conjured up images of him running after a bull with paintbrush in hand.) The exhibit didn't include any of those works, but you can see some of those images by clicking here. The matador is approximately the same size as the bull in the first image -- lol.
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| "Cardenal (Nino de Guevara)" (1964) |
Botero was drawn to depicting the human form from an early age. In fact, when he was in Catholic school, young Fernando could often be found in the principal's office for painting nudes. He eventually was expelled, with the final straw being his submission of a paper entitled "Pablo Picasso and Nonconformity in Art." I'm sure you can see how dangerous exposure to the ideas in such a report could have been for young minds.
Still, Botero's early style wasn't particularly different from that of his peers. His artistic perspective expanded after a trip to Europe when he was 20 years old. During his travels, he took in the work of artists like Velasquez, Goya and, most importantly, Rubens. You've probably heard a woman with a fullsome body being referred to as
"Rubenesque." That term comes from Rubens' depiction of women who did not spend much time at the gym. Botero was drawn to the volume of these figures and began pumping up his characters and their surroundings alike. Now he had his own style, but it was one the art world did not immediately laud.
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| "Monalisa" (1959) |
Abstract expressionism was the style du jour. Think Pollock's spatter and drip technigues, Rothko's color field paintings or Francis Bacon's visceral work. Botero could have been painting in an entirely different universe. Still, he pushed the boundaries of figurative work, and his work began to garner attention.
In 1963, MOMA included Botero's "Mona Lisa, Age 12" in a show featuring recent acquisitions. The style was very different than his later work, with visible drawing marks on the faces of the figures. The exhibit included a number of these works, which can be seen in the link below. I do not like them, but it was interesting to see how his art evolved.
Instead, I preferred this version of "Monalisa," with the woman poised (once she gets up) to make her own attempt at creating a work of art. But I digress, sort of. The big deal is that Botero's "Mona Lisa, Age 12" was on view at MOMA at the same time THE "Mona Lisa" by da Vinci was on display at the Met. What a contrast! The reports make it sound like the New York art world kind of lost its mind. For a dive into all of Botero's takes on "Mona Lisa," click
here. And to see more of Botero's versions of famous artwork, click
here.
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| Detail from "Los Ricos" (1967) |
Last up is this adorable puppy that sits in the corner of Botero's "Los Ricos." The puffball on the top of his head is a nice touch, but it's his little tongue sticking out at the viewer that I like the most. The work is "immediately available for purchase." In case you want to see the entire painting before making a decision about an offer, click
here.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Botero also created sculptures with figures as fullsome as those in his paintings. The exhibit included only one such work --
"Leda and the Swan." I much preferred the pair of sculptures I came upon at a stop at the Wichita State sculpture garden. (Don't ask.) Click
here and scroll down to see them. You are truly a scrooge if they don't make you smile.
"Botero" in New York continues through September 7th and is definitely worth seeing if you're in the area. Click
here for more information.
Next up: "Giocometti in the Temple of Dendur" at the Met.