By: Karen Bloom
14 at Nassau County Museum of Art (NCMA). Botero's billowing and sensuous universe can be experienced at this unprecedented showing of more than 70 examples of his work. The pieces on display are from his own personal collection, never before seen on a scale such as this. "When we've shown Botero in a group exhibit, both students and adults are intrigued," said NCMA director Constance Schwartz. "We felt the time was right to give him his own exhibit."Botero's paintings have attained global popularity that appeal to a large audience - of all ages. His art is created with the conviction that art's principal task is to bring beauty into the world. It is sensuous, ample and colorful. To Botero, beauty is first and foremost as seen in form and volume. When he paints women he finds supreme beauty in the curves of the female body. Botero's women, however, are no svelte, glamorous maidens - no, they are big, ultra feminine and opulent dames with voluptuous figures. Botero was born in 1932 in Medell'n, Colombia. As a young man he traveled to Madrid, Florenze and Paris to study classical European art first-hand. Now residing in New York, Paris and Tuscany, Botero achieved renown, beginning in the 1960's, for his satirical paintings of oversized, fleshy figures with large limbs and small bodies. In 1972, he began making sculptures as well, an example of which is "Man On Horseback," - a self-assured gentleman in a suit and bowler hat, his legs as large as those of the horse - a work that greets visitors along the path leading to the museum and is a permanent part of NCMA's Sculpture Garden. Botero's smooth, rounded depictions of people and animals exhibit a comic disregard for correct proportions. This skewing of form is central to his works. He has said, "In art, as long as you have ideas and think, you are bound to deform nature. Art is deformation."Appropriating themes from all of art history- from the Middle Ages, the Italian quattrocento, and Latin American colonial art to the modern trends of the 20th century - Botero has transformed them to his own particular style.With a bold hand he merges European art history with essential expressions and subjects from his own life-affirming world; that of Latin America. Also known for his still-life paintings, Botero's representations of fruits, flowers, vegetables, and sweets embody many of the characteristics that are observed in his other subjects. A number of his still-lifes have a particular resonance within the context of Columbia, often displaying distinctively Columbian meals, birthday tables, or references to particular occasions celebrated in that country.His art further incorporates his interest in political events and real-life violence within Columbia. Schwartz noted that the artist's works are both "very powerful and beautiful, much of which document what is going on in his own country. His drawings have an intimate, special quality that is just gorgeous."In conjunction with the exhibit, NCMA is presenting several events to enhance the viewing experience. These include "Pan American Music Mix," a concert by the American Chamber Ensemble, Sunday, Dec. 5; "How Frida and Diego Made Latin Art Famous," a lecture by curator Franklin Hill Perrell, Saturday, Dec. 11; "Fernando Botero," a lecture by author Dr. Charles Riley, Sunday, Jan. 30.
Fernando Botero: Works On Paper at Nassau County Museum of Art
Now through Feb. 13. Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission: $6 adult; $5 seniors 62 and older; $4 children 12 and older. Docent-led tours offered at 2 p.m. daily except Sunday; no reservations needed. One Museum Dr. (off Northern Blvd.), Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or nassaumuseum.com.
