Fernando Botero is one of the most famous artists and sculptors of Colombian origin. His work is of great importance to contemporary culture and art. This extraordinary person and his works will be discussed in the article.
Millions of people today admire his work, but the path to fame and success was far from easy. But the painter walked towards his happiness, overcoming difficulties step by step. Today he has reached what he has been going for so long, but he does not stop there, but continues to discover new facets in himself.
Fernando Botero: a brief biography
The future artist and sculptor, known throughout the world, was born 04/19/1932 in the Colombian city of Medellin, which is famous for the whole world of drug trafficking.
From an early age, he began to show interest in art, but in a family with a conservative way of life, everyone was skeptical of his hobby. When the fifteen-year-old boy declared that he intended to become an artist, his mother and the rest of the household were opposed to this. They believed that art could be a bit of a hobby, but not a way of making a living.
However, Fernando Botero was determined and began to develop, improving skills in his favorite business. Soon, he managed to achieve the position of illustrator in the local print edition of El Colombiano, where he worked in this position until 1951.
Travel to Europe
Then Fernando decides to go to Europe to gain new knowledge and experience. In Madrid, he attended short-term studies at an art school.
Then he went to Florence, where he attended classes at Bernard Burnson - a famous professor and American scientist. In Italy, he met with the European Renaissance, which he previously knew only by hearsay.
Traveling in Europe dragged on for about a year, and in 1952 Botero returned to his homeland. During this time, he received a lot of new impressions and emotions, got acquainted live with European art and history, gained new knowledge in the field of art, painting techniques, etc.
Of course, in just a year, he did not manage to turn from an inexperienced self-taught artist into a professional, but the knowledge gained during this journey helped him to form his own style in the future.
Artist Fernando Botero
Upon returning to their homeland, the novice sculptor and artist arranges his first solo exhibition, which worked in the gallery of L. Matisse.
In 1952, he participated in a competition organized by the National Hood. Salon Colombia. In it was presented his painting "By the Sea", which won the prize 2nd place.
But at the beginning of his career, Fernando Botero, whose works did not yet have a personal, unique style, did not stand out too much from the general mass of young artists. Having visited his debut exhibition, many visitors did not even realize that these were paintings by one artist, considering them the work of different people.
At that time, completely different painters influenced his work: P. Gauguin, D. Rivera, impressionists and others. In addition, he did not have the opportunity to get acquainted with their works in reality, so he limited himself to illustrative reproductions.
Formation of an individual style
Until the mid-50s. Fernando Botero, whose paintings only shortly before this began to attract interest, did not have a pronounced personal style, which he is so famous for today. Then he portrayed fairly standard people and animals, which were not much different from those that were on the paintings of other artists.
Familiar to the modern art lover, "bbw" became his visiting card by pure chance. When the artist painted his Still Life with a Mandolin, the musical instrument turned out to be too bloated. This amused both the artist himself and the audience. Thus, Botero's corporate identity was born, which pleased him.
From now on, the Colombian painted only ridiculously swollen images of people, animals and objects.
World fame
Having married Gloria Sia, the artist moves to live in Mexico, but their marriage did not last long. After the divorce, he moves to New York. Poor knowledge of English and a lack of money led him to write copies of the works of famous artists.
In parallel, the artist painted his own paintings. Thanks to this, in 1970 he exhibited his paintings at the Marlborough Gallery. The exhibition is becoming successful, and returning to Europe is victorious.
Since then Botero has become a famous and outstanding Colombian artist of our time.
The modern stage of creativity
The works of Fernando Botero today are very highly valued, which allows him to travel a lot and earn a living with his favorite job. The artist has a house in Paris, where he writes mostly large canvases. On the Mediterranean coast of France, the creator not only likes to relax with his family, but also deals with his other hobby, in addition to painting. It is here that the sculptor Fernando Botero is revealed to the world. The creations of the master, like the paintings, are distinguished by their grotesque volume.
He also often visits New York, where he also creates.
Fernando Botero in 1992 won the invitation of Jacques Chirac himself (then he was mayor of Paris) to carry out a personal exhibition on the Champs Elysees, which had not previously been invited by any foreign artist.
Today Botero travels around the world, showing off his works. He is one of the most outstanding painters and sculptors of our time.
Paintings
Of contemporary artists, Fernando, of course, is among the highest paid. His paintings at art auctions and exhibitions are sold for fabulous amounts. For example, the painting "Breakfast on the Grass" in 1969 in the art market was sold for 1 million US dollars.
He also visited Russia, moreover, a sculptural group is stored in the Hermitage, which the master personally presented to the museum. It is called "Still Life with Watermelon."
The artist was always worried about everything that was happening in the world. He could not be indifferent and at the beginning of the zero years of the XXI century he created a series of paintings "Abu Ghraib", where he clearly showed how cruelly Americans treat Arab captives and prisoners in an Iraqi prison. For the first time the world saw these creations in Colombia in the spring of 2005.
Fernando Botero, whose sculptures and paintings are in great demand today, said that he had not yet finished this series of works, which already now numbers about 50 creations. According to him, he still has something to say on this topic, because he did not disclose stories related to Afghanistan, Cuba (Guantanamo), etc.
Imitation, or rather, remaking famous paintings in their own way is a kind of "chip" Fernando Botero. "Mona Lisa" performed by a Colombian is a vivid example of the stylization of a world famous work.
Famous paintings
Among the most potent and significant of his works can be distinguished canvas "Adam and Eve", where the figures of biblical heroes are depicted from the back. They are both naked and executed in the artist's "bloated" manner. Adam reaches for the forbidden fruit, and on the branches of a tree you can see the snake-tempter.
In 1990, he painted the painting “At the Window,” which depicts a naked, nude woman standing by an open window. The artist has a special passion for depicting nude female nature. Moreover, his craving for swollen forms reaches its climax when he portrays the female body.
The painting "Letter" (1976) depicts a fat woman lying in bed without clothes. Obviously, the girl had just read the letter, which plunged her into deep thought. She looks away with a detached look somewhere, holding a letter in her hand, and next to her lie the fruits of citrus trees.
One of his most famous works is the 1969 painting "Breakfast on the Grass", which shows a man and a woman sitting on a picnic under the canopy of trees. At the same time, a man lies without clothes, smoking a cigarette, and the girl is dressed and sits nearby. On the tablecloth is laid out food, fruit and a basket.
Sculptures
As in painting, in sculpture, Fernando Botero also adheres to the style of figuism. He created a large number of sculptures in different cities of the world. Today it is a new trend, every major city in the world considers it fashionable to place the works of this master on its streets. The artist receives so many offers from the authorities of various cities, large collectors and cultural organizations that he can’t cope with the flow of orders, therefore he takes only the most interesting and profitable ones.
Among the most famous sculptural works by Fernando Botero, "The Abduction of Europe" takes first place. This composition is located in the capital of Spain and was created based on the famous ancient Greek myth about Zeus and Europe, which he stole, turning into a bull.
Of course, this work was done in a typical style for the author. On the back of a large muscular bull sits a naked girl (Europe) with a magnificent figure. She proudly straightens her hair, showing confidence in herself and her beauty. This sculpture is today considered a landmark of Madrid, to which millions of tourists flock annually.
Also very famous is another work of Fernando Botero - the sculpture "Gentleman in a bowler hat." His sculpture of a naked girl lying on her stomach, which is located on a square in the Danish capital - the city of Copenhagen, is also world famous.
Contribution to Culture
The works of Fernando Botero today are so in great demand that even for the largest cities and museums in the world to become owners of at least one of his works is a great honor and good luck. There is a real hunt for the works, he not only does not need to look for customers or buyers for his works, but on the contrary, the artist has no end to those who want to touch art.
Botero is very hardworking and works actively, creating dozens of creations every year. The more he creates, the more popular his work becomes. Such a phenomenal success can be envied by many eminent artists and sculptors. However, the artist remains true to himself, not succumbing to the opinion of the masses and pressure from critics. He simply does what he likes, putting his soul into his works.
Today, his sculptures are in almost all major cities and capitals of European countries, as well as in America and the artist’s homeland, in Colombia. Due to age, it has now become less productive, but still continues to work continuously.
Conclusion
Fernando Botero is an example of how a person born far from the centers of world art, without proper education in this field, without the support of loved ones, managed to achieve dizzying success thanks to his talent, perseverance and irresistible desire to create.
As soon as the artist found his own style, different from the general mass, to show individuality, people began to be interested in his work. People were drawn to his paintings and sculptures, art lovers began to speak about him very well, claiming that Botero was one of the best creators of our time.
The world became interested in his works. Today, the fame of Botero’s work is booming especially in Europe, North and South America. In Colombia, the creator is rightfully considered a national hero.