Botero on Color
“Color is basic in my work because it illuminates the painting and, in the end, the picture finds its resolution the moment the color is resolved. One thinks it is the composition, but actually what defines the picture is the color. When each element of the painting finds its place, peace is felt. And at that moment the painting is finished….the meaning of the painting resides in that desire to find the perfect place for each color, because it is an integral element that takes its place and fulfills its own necessity.”
“Art is an ever different vision of the same.”
-Fernando Botero
When asked about the judgment of his painting, Botero said, “My ideas interest me, and what I want is to underline my world. I try, in that way, to formulate a declaration of principles.”
When he was twenty, Botero sailed from the Colombian port of Buenaventura to Europe, using money he had won at the Salón Nacional de Artistas. He went to Madrid and studied at the Escuela de San Fernando. He was interested in seeing the masterpieces at the Prado Museum, and he began to copy them. He considered himself as having lessons in painting from the great artists, such as Titian, Tintoretto, and Velázquez, whose work was featured there.
After a year in Spain, Botero left for Florence. This was an exuberant time for him. He described his life in Florence, saying, “For the first time, I found that life could be joyful.” Botero studied the work of Piero della Francesca, Uccello, Masaccio, and Andrea del Castagna. In Italy, Botero’s taste for the oversized was inspired. He says that he discovered that painting was more complex and more important than he had realized. After his time in Italy, his paintings were more structured, less impulsive, and had more rigorous layouts. Italian painting remains a life-long passion for Botero.
“It is very difficult for an artist to express himself if he has not seen the masterpieces of painting.”
-Fernando Botero
Botero traveled to Mexico next. He saw the work of the Mexican muralists, and was intrigued by the idea of incorporating immediate reality into painting. He was influenced by the work of Orozco, Siquerios, Kahlo and Rivera.
In 1956 in Mexico City, Fernando Botero was sketching a mandolin. Suddenly he discovered that when he reduced the central opening of the instrument, he changed the proportions and the volume of the mandolin to something huge. It felt like a shock. From now on he knew what he was going to do. He would enlarge everything he would draw or paint to a baroque shape, an expression of sumptuousness and sensuality, not only in a human figure, but also in a still life, in fruits, or in a mandolin. He made more than thirty paintings in this style, and thus he established himself as the Botero we know today. The first exhibition of his new works took place in Washington in 1957 at the Pan-American Union. Also included was a painting called Still Life with a Mandolin, not by chance for those who knew what had happened to Botero in Mexico City. Later Botero said that he felt as if he had gone through a door and entered another room, discovering his own style. He had created his own Baroque.
Excerpt from “Botero’s Baroque” by John Sillevis
The Baroque World of Fernando Botero published by Art Services International
When he returned to Colombia in 1958, Botero had a show in Bogotá that was well received, and he began to believe that he was a success as a painter.
New York City was Botero’s next destination. He arrived in the city in 1960 with two hundred dollars, three suits, and no knowledge of the English language. He was aware of the great pools of talent that surrounded him, and realized that he had to give his painting his best effort. He became increasingly obsessed. These experiences strengthened his conviction as a painter.
After eighteen months in New York, Botero had an encounter that would change his life forever. Dorothy Miller, from the Museum of Modern Art, was visiting one of Botero’s neighbors, who suggested that she meet Botero. As she entered his studio, she saw his painting Mona Lisa, Age 12 and said that she wanted it for the museum. This was a pivotal moment for Botero.
In 1969, he presented his work titled Inflated Images at an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. That exhibition established his reputation as a major international artist.
In 1975, Botero returned to Paris and began his interest in sculpting. He worked hard to master his craft, and said the process was similar to that of mastering painting. Botero’s sculptures are currently first made of clay, and then cast in plastic. The casts are then taken to a foundry, where they are transformed in bronzes.
Abu Ghraib
To learn about Fernando Botero’s Abu Ghraib series, visit the University of California at Berkeley webcast at this web site.
This webcast features a conversation between Fernando Botero and poet Robert Haas. Click on “webcast of the event.”
Today Botero lives in New York, Paris, Monte Carlo and Pietrasanta. His art is his life: he is only interested in creating, and doing his artwork. He says that his passions are reading, studying, viewing and enjoying the benefits of art.
Botero’s paintings and sculptures can be found around the globe, in public spaces and elite galleries, and, now, in the city of San Antonio. Many museums in Bogotá and Medellín have benefited from the generous donation of Botero’s paintings and sculptures. Botero introduced a unique and unprecedented style in the twentieth century world of art and has enriched our lives with his vision.
“I have always thought that a painter’s riches lie in his influences. Each time he is exposed to an influence he is enriched. One must saturate oneself with everything because what emerges in the end is one’s own self.”
-Fernando Botero
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© 2007 San Antonio Museum of Art, the Southwest School of Art & Craft, the San Antonio Public Library Foundation and KLRN |
