Plump ‘inflatable’ figures are a hallmark of Fernando Botero’s seminal style. Often assumed to be intended as comical or satirical, Botero insists his intuitive use of exaggerated proportions has more impact, creating more substance and overt sensuality.
Mexico City
In 1955, Botero returned to Bogotá, and then moved to Mexico City with a wife and child. In 1956, his Still Life with Mandolin created a stylistic breakthrough, revealing how to create a sensual mass that gave his subject matter presence and psychological weight. His bold distortion of ‘normal’ proportions, use of ‘Latin American’ bright colours and smooth texture-free skin surfaces became an identifiable style, now often called Boterismo.
He also experimented with a looser, more expressive style of paint application, featuring a textured surface with vertical brushmarks, and more monochromatic with less saturated colour. This is evident in El Nino de Vallecas (1959). He then went back to the more smooth and colourful painting technique.
New York
In 1960, he moved to New York, creating many portraits of corpulent bourgeoise, with the inflatable stylistic connotations hinting at their excessive self-regard. An example is Presidential Family (1967). He also painted comical bordello scenes and pneumatic nudes, satirising their constantly fervent, unrelenting passion. In 1961, the Museum of Modern Art acquired Mona Lisa, Age Twelve (1959), an artwork in the more textured paint application style.
Paris
In 1973 Botero returned to Paris and began making huge bronze sculptures as well as paintings. These include Roman Soldier (1985), Maternity (1989), and The Left Hand (1992). Between 1975 and 1977 he stopped painting altogether to focus on sculpture.
When he restarted, he began to explore a wider range of subject matter. The work became darker. One series looked at the local narratives and criminal activities within recent Colombian history, referencing the well-known drug cartels in works like The Death of Pablo Escobar (1999). Botero has said, ‘Art should be an oasis ... from the hardness of life. But the Colombian drama is so out of proportion that today you can’t ignore the violence.’
Another series commented on another issue the artist is passionate about, the United States’ torture of Iraqi prisoners in the notorious Abu Ghraib prison, as seen in Abu Ghraib (2005).
