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Lot Essay
“There were no museums in Colombia when I was young. The only paintings I saw were those of Colombian Baroque artists in churches, when Colombian children go to church they see all these Madonnas, so clean and perfect. In South America, china-like perfection is very much a part of an ideal of beauty...So, in contrast to Europe or North America, you connect the notions of art and beauty at a very early stage. I grew up with the idea that art is beauty. All my life I’ve been trying to produce art that’s beautiful, to discover all the elements that make up visual perfection.” (quoted in C. Fuentes, Botero, Women, New York, 2003, p. 42)
Exploring the theme of motherhood in Botero’s immediately recognisable playful, sculptural style, Maternity portrays the nurturing and protective embrace of a mother and her infant child as it rests delicately in her arms. Gazing into the distance towards the viewer, we are brought into the intimacy of this endearing scene. The female figure stands upon a smooth bronze base, serving as an homage to the role of motherhood, female strength and the wisdom that this pedestal elevates her to.
Maternity is also a nod to the motif of the Madonna and child, one that was both deeply personal to Botero as well as a classic and timeless art historical subject. Botero’s earliest experiences of art were inextricably intertwined with his Roman Catholic upbringing in Medellín, Colombia. As a young boy, he was only ever able to observe art first-hand in religious contexts such as churches, entwining these artistic experiences with religious ones. Religious themes, figures and motifs such as priests, nuns, and the Madonna and child would subsequently recur throughout his oeuvre. Maternity encapsulates Botero’s fusion of his Colombian and Latina American identity with religious iconography and art historical tradition, positioning motherhood not only as a subject of tenderness but as a vessel for cultural and historical continuity.
Exploring the theme of motherhood in Botero’s immediately recognisable playful, sculptural style, Maternity portrays the nurturing and protective embrace of a mother and her infant child as it rests delicately in her arms. Gazing into the distance towards the viewer, we are brought into the intimacy of this endearing scene. The female figure stands upon a smooth bronze base, serving as an homage to the role of motherhood, female strength and the wisdom that this pedestal elevates her to.
Maternity is also a nod to the motif of the Madonna and child, one that was both deeply personal to Botero as well as a classic and timeless art historical subject. Botero’s earliest experiences of art were inextricably intertwined with his Roman Catholic upbringing in Medellín, Colombia. As a young boy, he was only ever able to observe art first-hand in religious contexts such as churches, entwining these artistic experiences with religious ones. Religious themes, figures and motifs such as priests, nuns, and the Madonna and child would subsequently recur throughout his oeuvre. Maternity encapsulates Botero’s fusion of his Colombian and Latina American identity with religious iconography and art historical tradition, positioning motherhood not only as a subject of tenderness but as a vessel for cultural and historical continuity.