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Lot Essay
Fernando Botero's still lifes and portraits are immediately recognizable through the artist's own particular painting style. He paints people and objects as he interprets them: as a passion for volume and color that is distinclty his own. The artist follows, as it were, "from within toward the outside." His ample forms permit the creation of large fields of color through which he unmistakably and powerfully expresses himself. (1)
An integral ingredient of Botero's works is taking what is familiar to the public, most particularly the Latin public, and translating it into his own art form. Something that is immediately tangible as, for example, a famous Old Master painting--where the themes and characters are world-renowned and have been studied for centuries--are distinctly Botero-ized. It is something distinct and familiar that he has made into his own. The paintings are typically no less detailed nor painterly, but somehow different. The forms are rounder, more defined and translated into his own signature Botero style.
In a 1994 interview, Carlos Fuentes asked the artist about some of his more famous themes, such as the one in the present lot, of oranges. He writes:
'You said that whereas Rufino Tamayo paints watermelons, you identify
with the orange.' The artist replies, 'The orange is a sphere. It
is the most simple and perfect form. I am also fascinated by its color. The important thing is to give it a personal seal. Do the same thing [as Tamayo] but differently. This is what I call the fire test of painting, ' the orange test'. (2)
Expanding on that theme and in the same interview, the artist acknowledges that a tremendously important part of his work is still life. He says: 'Painting, like food, enters first through the eyes. It tastes much better when it looks good. Good painting is 'edible', it has a substance that can be 'swallowed'. For example, you see a Rembrandt and you wish you could take a piece of the curtain, of the hand, of the hat, and eat it. I have seen this in all good works of art. If it's good, it's eaten!' (3)
And so, the present lot is another wonderful example of the importance of Botero's still lifes; and indeed, as the artist proclaims, it certainly still looks good enough to eat.
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1. C. Fuentes, Latin American Artists in Their Studios, New York, The Vendome Press, 1994, p. 40 & 44.
2. ibid.
3. ibid.
An integral ingredient of Botero's works is taking what is familiar to the public, most particularly the Latin public, and translating it into his own art form. Something that is immediately tangible as, for example, a famous Old Master painting--where the themes and characters are world-renowned and have been studied for centuries--are distinctly Botero-ized. It is something distinct and familiar that he has made into his own. The paintings are typically no less detailed nor painterly, but somehow different. The forms are rounder, more defined and translated into his own signature Botero style.
In a 1994 interview, Carlos Fuentes asked the artist about some of his more famous themes, such as the one in the present lot, of oranges. He writes:
'You said that whereas Rufino Tamayo paints watermelons, you identify
with the orange.' The artist replies, 'The orange is a sphere. It
is the most simple and perfect form. I am also fascinated by its color. The important thing is to give it a personal seal. Do the same thing [as Tamayo] but differently. This is what I call the fire test of painting, ' the orange test'. (2)
Expanding on that theme and in the same interview, the artist acknowledges that a tremendously important part of his work is still life. He says: 'Painting, like food, enters first through the eyes. It tastes much better when it looks good. Good painting is 'edible', it has a substance that can be 'swallowed'. For example, you see a Rembrandt and you wish you could take a piece of the curtain, of the hand, of the hat, and eat it. I have seen this in all good works of art. If it's good, it's eaten!' (3)
And so, the present lot is another wonderful example of the importance of Botero's still lifes; and indeed, as the artist proclaims, it certainly still looks good enough to eat.
________________________________________________
1. C. Fuentes, Latin American Artists in Their Studios, New York, The Vendome Press, 1994, p. 40 & 44.
2. ibid.
3. ibid.