Fernando Botero

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About the artwork

Artist: Fernando Botero Title: The Party Year: 2019 Technique: Graphite, colored pencil, and watercolor on canvas Dimensions: 130 x 100 cm. Provenance: Artist’s Studio, Monte Carlo Signed and dated “Botero 19” lower right corner Fernando Botero’s The Party (2019) is a captivating example of the artist’s signature style, which he described as Boterismo—a technique characterized by exaggerated, voluminous figures that convey both humor and profound social commentary. Executed in graphite, colored pencil, and watercolor on canvas, this artwork maintains Botero’s unmistakable aesthetic while embracing the delicacy of drawing techniques. In The Party, Botero depicts a scene of celebration, featuring a man and a woman engaged in an intimate dance, surrounded by a lively crowd. The figures’ rounded, exaggerated forms lend a sense of weight and grandeur to their presence, a hallmark of Botero’s work that challenges traditional notions of beauty and proportion. The soft application of graphite and colored pencil creates a harmonious balance between detail and abstraction, allowing the figures to appear both monumental and gentle. Watercolor adds depth and subtlety, enhancing the composition’s tonal richness. Botero’s work often explores themes of joy, nostalgia, and human connection, and The Party is no exception. The central couple, with their relaxed yet expressive gestures, evoke a sense of warmth and familiarity. Despite their exaggerated forms, they remain deeply human, reflecting Botero’s belief in celebrating life’s fullness—both literally and metaphorically. Beyond its aesthetic appeal, the artwork serves as a commentary on Latin American culture, where social gatherings, dance, and music play a vital role in everyday life. This drawing by Botero invites the viewer to appreciate the delicate interplay of light and shadow, line and form. The Party is a testament to Botero’s mastery in capturing movement, emotion, and culture within a seemingly simple yet profoundly evocative composition.

About the artist

Born in 1932 in Medellin, Colombia, Fernando Botero is an artistic living legend of our times. A prolific artist and creator of the signature style ‘Boterismo’, the artist’s rounded musings have made him a global figure in the contemporary art world, and the artistic ambassador of Colombian pursuit. Rounded from convention, distinctive in spite of the commonplace, and tied to Colombian history and heritage - his curvaceous forms have reached monumental heights, and are collected by major museums, corporations and private collectors all over the world, including the United States, Korea, and Mexico City, to name a few.