Two years after the exhibition of the monumental bronze Dancers in 2017, the Elart Swiss Gallery is pleased to present a selection of works by the famous Colombian artist Fernando Botero. This time, the focus is on painting with no less than five exceptional paintings, some of which, rarely shown to the public, come from the artist’s private collection.
Fernando Botero is a multifaceted artist with a strong interest in Latin American traditions and European art history. Thus, his perspective expresses his fascination for exaggerated proportions, reflecting his love for pre-Columbian art and the imported forms of Italian art of the 14th and 15th centuries, a time when the excitement of volume was a cult.
While the artist focuses on a wide range of subjects, such as street scenes, portraits and still lifes, a stylistic consistency prevails. The round and voluptuous shapes can be appreciated at a glance, whether for characters or everyday objects. His use of colors is his trademark, with the presence of warm tones and bright colors. Moreover, Botero’s characters are world-famous, yet his still lifes are not as widely known… Paradoxically, they are essential for a good understanding of his work.
Through these five paintings, we can appreciate both the stylistic similarity and the coherence that exists between such different subjects. This is what the artist wanted to express. For him, stylistic primacy is more relevant than the subject itself.
“I think it is very important for stylistic coherence to dominate the form of expression. In other words, in my work, you will find that each element is represented in the same style. This approach permeates the entire canvas. When you look at a still life, you notice that the knives and forks, the fruit, the table, the napkin, everything is rendered in the same way, so that the whole work gives a feeling of unity, harmony and coherence. This is what communicates its essential truth.”
Fernando Botero
Fernando Botero found his unmistakable style while painting a mandolin during his stay in Mexico. The round shape of the mandolin was then transposed to the characters, women and men in his canvases. With this new exhibition at the Beau Rivage Palace in Lausanne, the curious, the neophytes and the art lovers will have the exceptional opportunity to appreciate Botero’s style through the varied works of the most talented and the most renowned South American artist of his generation.
