FERNANDO BOTERO

The Most Colombian of Colombian Artists

WhoWhatWhenWhereWhyWhoWhat

Who: Fernando Botero Angulo When: April 19, 1932- present Where: Medellín, Colombia What: Reflects his Colombian heritage in his work

Famous for his “fat people” Why: An “intuitive artist” , makes “social

commentary” with his art work, bases his style on the Baroque style work he saw in the Catholic church as a child.

Important info: Created a series of paintings dramatizing the Abu Ghraib prison tortures.

Some of Botero’s famous “Fat People” When asked why he paints such enormous bodies, he says “An artist is attracted to certain kinds of form without knowing why.”

Colombian ball: Why is the band so large??

Abu Ghraib Series

“The whole world and myself were very shocked that the Americans were torturing prisoners in the same prison as the tyrant they came to remove . . . The more I read the more I was motivated.”•Botero refuses to sell these paintings because he does not want to profit from the suffering of others. •Example of Botero’s philosophy that art as a “permanent accusation”. What does this mean?