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If you are one of the lucky ones who have the opportunity to visit the capitals of different countries of the world, then when you see the sculptures of the Colombian artist Fernando Botero, you will immediately unmistakably determine his authorship and say, but I saw this in Madrid, Tel Aviv e, New York. Indeed, Botero is one of the most recognizable among Latin American painters and sculptors, and all this is due to his “fat” style, as he himself called it, or his figurative style, to put it more scientifically. It is interesting that this style of increased volumes of depicted objects and people appeared by accident. Once, Botero painted a still life with a mandolin, and the latter turned out to be larger, more voluminous, and this accident marked the beginning of the artist’s now so recognizable style – “los gordos” (fat men). Of course, this style was a fusion of different art schools that had a strong influence on Botero. So, while studying in Mexico, he absorbed the art of the great Mexican muralists José Clemente Orozco, Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros. While studying in Madrid and Florence, he was greatly influenced by the classics of Spanish and Italian painting. He remains a fan of Renaissance artists to this day. As a professor at the Bogota Academy of Arts, Botero, no doubt, reflected in his work the culture, life, colors, light of Latin America, and Colombia in particular. Looking at the work of Botero, we see a certain naivete, grotesque, even primitivism, his work borders on kitsch, but they are kind, they exude warmth and good nature. This, no doubt, is facilitated by this exaggerated volume and uncomplicatedness of the topics themselves. Botero’s sculpture is the artist’s paintings that have turned into bronze and marble. With his magnificent forms, his airiness, the artist seeks to influence the sensuality of people, and it seems that he succeeded and succeeds even at such a respectful 90-year-old age. They say that Botero still continues to create only while standing.
