About the Work
During his entire artistic career, Fernando Botero directs his attention to the nude, to the human figure; right from the start, his depictions conform to a characteristic formal language. The oversized body with unusual proportions and rigid facial expression is reminiscent of illustrated books for children through its naive, baroque painting style; for that very reason, it challenges our current, western aesthetic of beauty and form. By combining elements of pre-Columbian folk art and Mexican murals with the tradition of European painting, he develops his own ‘maniera’, his unmistakable artistic handwriting. In turning away from accepted conventions, Botero requires that the viewer take up a position – on this or that side of socially sanctioned taste.
