Fernando Botero, The Arnolfini Portrait 2 (detail), 1978, private collection
I must tell you something in secret – I love Fernando Botero’s works.
There is something really interesting in his paintings. This Colombian figurative artist and sculptor, born in Medellín in 1932 (yes, that Medellín from “Narcos”!) has his signature style, also known as “Boterismo”. “Boterismo” depicts people and figures in large, exaggerated volume, which can represent political criticism or humor, depending on the piece. He is considered the most recognized and quoted living artist from Latin America, and his art can be found in highly visible places around the world, such as Park Avenue in New York City and the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
Botero loves to be inspired by classic art. Or maybe “inspiration” is a wrong word here – for me, Botero paints remakes offamous paintings. Just look:
1. La Fornarina, after Raphael
Fernando Botero, La Fornarina, 2009, private collectionRaphael, La Fornarina, 1518-20, Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica, Rome
2. La Menina, after Velasquez
Fernando Botero, La Menina, 1982, private collectionDiego Velázquez, Las Meninas, 1656. Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado
3. The Arnolfini Portrait, after van Eyck
Fernando Botero, The Arnolfini Portrait 2, 1978, private collectionJan van Eyck. Giovanni Arnolfini and His Wife (the Arnolfini Portrait), 1434, The National Gallery, London
4. Mademoiselle Caroline Rivière, after Ingres
Fernando Botero, Mademoiselle Caroline Rivière, 1979, private collectionJean Auguste Dominique Ingres, Mademoiselle Caroline Rivière, 1806, Musée du Louvre, Paris
5. Battista Sforza, after Piero della Francesca
Fernando Botero, Battista Sforza, 1998, private collectionPiero della Francesca, Battista Sforza, c. 1465–70, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
6. Federico da Montefeltro, after Piero della Francesca
Fernando Botero, Federico da Montefeltro, 1998, private collectionPiero della Francesca, Federico da Montefeltro, c. 1472, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
7. The Artist and His First Wife, after Peter Paul Rubens
Fernando Botero, Rubens and His Wife, 1965, private collectionPeter Paul Rubens, The Artist and His First Wife, circa 1609, Alte Pinakothek Munich
8. Mona Lisa, after Leonardo da Vinci
Fernando Botero, Mona Lisa, 1978, Botero Museum, Bogotá, ColombiaLeonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa, 1503, Louvre Museum, Paris
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