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Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Fernando Botero

Art Appreciation 

A while back -- like over 10 years ago -- I blogged about world-renowned Colombian artist Fernando Botero, which you can read HERE. At that time, I was getting my feet wet in writing about artists and their work, and I feel I did an injustice of not giving more information about the artist. So, here we go. 

Fernando Botero was born in Medellín, Colombia on April 19, 1932. He is widely recognized for his signature style of creating larger-than-life figures with exaggerated proportions. 

Growing up, Botero was highly influenced by the Baroque style of the colonial churches and the city life of Medellín. At the age of 16, he had his first illustrations published in one of Medellín's important newspapers. The money earned from his illustrations helped pay for his primary education in Antioquia. 

In 1952, Botero moved to Bogotá. A few months later, he held his first exhibition at the Leo Matiz gallery. Around that time, he studied at the Academia de Bellas Artes in Madrid and was influenced by the works of artists such as Francisco Goya and Diego Velázquez, whose paintings showcased an intricate understanding of the human form. 

Botero developed his recognizable style, which he called "Boterismo," which exaggerates the proportions of his subjects to create a unique and highly recognizable visual language. These inflated subjects are recognized throughout the world. His gigantic sculptures can be found worldwide from Champs-Élysées in Paris, New York, London, and Madrid. 

Card Players, 1991

Broadgate Venus, 1989, London

The Hand, 1994, Madrid

Woman in the Kitchen, 1981


Sources:

Wikipedia

https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/fernando-botero-paintings/card-players-1991

https://web.archive.org/web/20091027103119/http://www.dinero.com/wf_InfoArticulo.aspx?idArt=15098

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