Lot Essay
One is most familiar with Fernando Botero's work because of the round, full and smooth features that he exposes in his characters. From the colorful and curved figures one sees in his paintings, Botero has diverted to another form of art. It is in his sculptures that the artist is allowed to play with the massive shapes and sizes molding marble, bronze and plaster into his bigger than life-size characters. The mid-1960's marked a period in Botero's life where he began to work with three-dimensional figures using the idea of sculpting. The 1970's marked the time when he began working with bronze. By the 1980's, Botero was a master in the field of sculpting.
It is not only the sense of sight that is important to Botero, but the sense of touch as well. One is able to see this in his sculptures as it attracts his audience to the overwhelming sizes and mass of his work. The sculpture allows the viewer to touch and feel the work that Botero wishes to portray. Botero says, "Sculpture brings me a special pleasure- that of touching the new reality that you create. Certainly, in a painting you give the illusion of truth, but with sculpture you can touch its reality...it's an object from your spirit, it's a sensual experience even in its execution. It brings a special joy to touch the material with your hands." (Sullivan, p. 13)
It is not only the sense of sight that is important to Botero, but the sense of touch as well. One is able to see this in his sculptures as it attracts his audience to the overwhelming sizes and mass of his work. The sculpture allows the viewer to touch and feel the work that Botero wishes to portray. Botero says, "Sculpture brings me a special pleasure- that of touching the new reality that you create. Certainly, in a painting you give the illusion of truth, but with sculpture you can touch its reality...it's an object from your spirit, it's a sensual experience even in its execution. It brings a special joy to touch the material with your hands." (Sullivan, p. 13)