Links

Etnias de Colombia

Irresistible fares to travel to Colombia with Avianca

Colombian Airports

Colombian Mass Media

Learn Spanish in Colombia - ih Bogotá

Fernando Botero

Fernando González Ochoa

Corporación Otraparte

Fernando Botero

Picasso, the first from left. Botero (foto de roel1943), the first from right.

Fernando Botero, the Colombian artist best known for his robust, inflated forms and exaggerated human figures, is both living history, and a living legend.

Botero was born in Medellín, in the department of Antioquia, Colombia, on April 19th, 1932. His father was a travelling salesman who would travel throughout the rugged, mountainous region by donkey. 

A reproduction of a work of Botero made in this shop of art in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Picture by Albeiro Rodas.

He passed away suddenly of a heart attack when Fernando was only 2, leaving Fernando to grow up with his mother and 2 brothers. It is said that this tragic event left him with a permanent emptiness, a sadness he could never fully put a face to.

The Medellin of modern day is very different than it was when Botero was growing up. Back then, it was a small provincial, quiet town where the Church played a large role in everyone's life and morality. Botero attended a school run by Jesuits who were very strict, and, to add enjoyment to his life, Botero began to draw and later paint. Growing up he became a huge fan of bullfights, which is a popular sport in Colombia, stemming from Spanish settlers. From the age of 13, he began to paint scenes of bullfights, selling them in front of the arena for 5 pesos, and later, as a professional, he spent nearly 2 years painting only that.

His talent and knowledge of art was evident from early on. When he was only 17 he contributed an article to the Medellin newspaper, El Colombiano, titled Picasso and the Nonconformity of Art which also served to reveal his avant-garde thinking of art.

The Lower the Latitude, the Better my Attitude!  Friday, July 04, 2008   Site dedicated to the Colombian people!

Search this site or the web powered by FreeFind Site search Web search