Fernando Botero
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| Fernando Botero | |
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| Birth name | Fernando Botero Angulo |
| Born | 19 April 1932 Medellín, Antioquia |
| Nationality | Colombian |
| Field | Painter, sculptor |
Fernando Botero Angulo (born April 19, 1932 in Medellín, Antioquia) is a Colombian figurative artist, self-titled "the most Colombian of Colombian artists" early on, coming to prominence when he won the first prize at the Salón de Artistas Colombianos in 1959.
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[edit] Style
His work includes still-lifes and landscapes, but Botero tends to primarily focus on situational portraiture. His paintings and sculptures are, on first examination, noted for their exaggerated proportions and the corpulence of the human and animal figures.
The "large people" is what they are often called by critics. Botero explains his use of obese figures and forms thus: "An artist is attracted to certain kinds of form without knowing why. You adopt a position intuitively; only later do you attempt to rationalize or even justify it."
He is an abstract artist in the most fundamental sense of the word, choosing what colors, shapes, and proportions to use based on intuitive aesthetic thinking. This being said, his works are informed by a Colombian upbringing and social commentary is woven throughout his work.
[edit] Early years
Botero was born in Medellín, Colombia, where the Catholic church adopted the Baroque style. His father died when Botero was four years old[1]. Throughout his childhood, Botero was isolated from traditional art presented in museums and other cultural institutes. At the age of 16, Botero published his first illustration in the Colombian newspaper El Colombiano used the money he received to pay for his high school education at the Liceo de Marinilla de Antioquia. In 1952, he traveled to Bogotá, where he had personal exhibit at the Leo Matiz gallery. Later that year, he won the ninth edition of the Salón de Artistas Colombianos[2]. Botero then studied art in France.
[edit] Exhibitions
- "Fund-Raiser Exhibition with Sonia Falcone at Calvin Charles Gallery [1] (2003) in Scottsdale, Arizona.
- "Botero at Ebisu" (2004) in Tokyo.
- "Fernando Botero" (2006) in Athens.
- "The Baroque World of Fernando Botero" (2007) in Quebec City
- "Abu Ghraib Exhibit" (2007) in University of California, Berkeley
- "Botero: Abu Ghraib" (November 6 - December 30, 2007) in American University Museum http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_University_Museum
- "Botero Abu Ghraib" Exposition (2008) Centro de las Artes I Monterrey, Mexico
- "The Baroque World of Fernando Botero" (May 2008) Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington
- "The Baroque World of Fernando Botero" (June 28 - September 21 2008) New Orleans Museum of Art
- "The Baroque World of Fernando Botero" (October 19-January 11, 2009) Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis, TN
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Fernando Botero |
[edit] Abu Ghraib series
- A Permanent Accusation A short movie on the Abu Ghraib series by Fernando Botero.
- Abu Ghraib: November 6 - December 30, 2007 It has been announced by the Director and Curator of the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center in Washington, D.C. that Botero's paintings will be exhibited there at the end of this year.
- Crucified Smurfs Mark Scroggins discusses Botero's series of canvases & drawings based on the reports of prisoner abuse in Abu Ghraib
- Abu Ghraib: January 29 - March 25, 2007 The first US institutional exhibition at UC Berkeley, with a webcast of a conversation between Fernando Botero and Robert Hass on the day of the opening.
- Abu Ghraib: October 18 - November 21, 2006 The first US gallery exhibition at the Marlborough in New York.
- The Body in Pain this essay by Arthur Danto at The Nation about Botero's Abu Ghraib series, discusses what Danto refers to as "disturbatory art"
- Botero Sees the World's True Heavies at Abu Ghraib by Erica Jong at The Washington Post about Botero's Abu Ghraib series"
- Botero's Abu Ghraib Series and the American Consciousness by Maymanah Farhat at Monthly Review discusses Botero's Abu Ghraib series in the larger context of American art and politics
- Medellín, Colombia Travel Guide
