Who was Fernando Botero?
Fernando Botero was a Colombian artist, born on April 19 in Medellín, known for a style that is characterized by the exaggeration of voluptuous shapes and figures.
Fernando Botero portrayed in his paintings some distinctive features of Latin American life. And, although he preferred to be faithful to aesthetics and painting, he had some works of a political nature, such as the Abu Ghraib series, where he portrayed the torture committed by American soldiers in this Iraqi prison. His paintings about ‘The Death of Plablo Escobar’, one of the most powerful drug traffickers to emerge in Colombia, are also famous.
Some of his most important works are:
1.- Woman in a Mirror (1955): This early painting by Botero is one of his first examples of the representation of exaggerated, round figures, which became his hallmark.
2.- The Death of Luis Carlos Galán (1989): This work is a response to a tragic event in Colombian history, the murder of the politician Luis Carlos Galán. Botero created a series of paintings and sculptures related to this theme.
3.- Abu Ghraib (2005): This series of paintings and drawings is inspired by the abuse of prisoners in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Botero addressed the topic of torture and human suffering in these works.
4.- The Horse (1999): This large sculpture represents a horse in Botero’s characteristic style. The sculpture is located in the Colombian city of Medellín and has become an iconic symbol of the city.
5.- The Musicians (1991): A series of paintings depicting musicians, often with stringed instruments, in the exuberant style of Botero.
With information from AFP