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Lot Essay
From Jan Van Eyck and Velázquez to Ingres and Manet, the European canon of art history has always been a rich source of inspiration for Fernando Botero. As a young aspiring artist, Botero traveled to Europe in the 1950s where he passionately studied first-hand Italy's Renaissance frescoes, Spain’s Golden Age masters and France's turn-of-the-century School of Paris. This early education spurred Botero’s life-long commitment to critically re-interpreting iconic paintings by the doyens of western art. For Botero, engaging with these formidable artistic precedents provided a gateway to true originality, as he explained, “You can take the same subject and create a totally different painting. That's where real originality lies, in taking something that's already been done by someone and doing it differently." 1
In Homenaje a Bonnard, Botero pays tribute to the French Nabis painter Pierre Bonnard, best known for his depictions of female bathers rendered in scintillating patchworks of vibrant colors. Like Bonnard’s bathers, Botero’s female subject appears unaware of the voyeuristic eye of the viewer who watches her from behind as she casually dries herself in front of a mirror that tantalizingly reflects a small portion of her nude torso. Pulling back the curtain on the left, Botero adds an element of drama and intrigue to the scene, suggesting that we are watching a performance unfold in this tiny private space. In striking contrast to the ethereal nudes in Bonnard’s timeless interiors, Botero’s solid, monumental woman fills almost the entirety of her decidedly twentieth-century, middle-class bathroom. With its subtle palette of pinks and greens, Homenaje a Bonnard harmoniously synthesizes opposing colors, creating an overall effect of balance and calm. Unlike Bonnard whose intense even jarring hues activate the surfaces of his canvases, Botero uses color as a unifying and quieting compositional device. As he once reflected, “I am interested in quiet color, not excited or feverish color. I have always considered that great art conveys tranquility and, in that sense, I seek that even in color.” 2 Both an homage to art history and a catalyst for exploring the principles of color and form, Homenaje a Bonnard testifies to Botero’s ability to transform the past into a distinctly modern vision.
1 Fernando Botero, quoted in W. Spies, "'I'm the most Colombian of Colombian artists': A Conversation with Fernando Botero," Fernando Botero: Paintings and Drawings (Munich: Prestel-Verlag, 1992) 155-56.
2 Fernando Botero, quoted in A. M. Escallón, “From the Inside Out: An Interview with Fernando Botero,” Botero: New Works on Canvas (New York: Rizzoli, 1997) 48.
In Homenaje a Bonnard, Botero pays tribute to the French Nabis painter Pierre Bonnard, best known for his depictions of female bathers rendered in scintillating patchworks of vibrant colors. Like Bonnard’s bathers, Botero’s female subject appears unaware of the voyeuristic eye of the viewer who watches her from behind as she casually dries herself in front of a mirror that tantalizingly reflects a small portion of her nude torso. Pulling back the curtain on the left, Botero adds an element of drama and intrigue to the scene, suggesting that we are watching a performance unfold in this tiny private space. In striking contrast to the ethereal nudes in Bonnard’s timeless interiors, Botero’s solid, monumental woman fills almost the entirety of her decidedly twentieth-century, middle-class bathroom. With its subtle palette of pinks and greens, Homenaje a Bonnard harmoniously synthesizes opposing colors, creating an overall effect of balance and calm. Unlike Bonnard whose intense even jarring hues activate the surfaces of his canvases, Botero uses color as a unifying and quieting compositional device. As he once reflected, “I am interested in quiet color, not excited or feverish color. I have always considered that great art conveys tranquility and, in that sense, I seek that even in color.” 2 Both an homage to art history and a catalyst for exploring the principles of color and form, Homenaje a Bonnard testifies to Botero’s ability to transform the past into a distinctly modern vision.
1 Fernando Botero, quoted in W. Spies, "'I'm the most Colombian of Colombian artists': A Conversation with Fernando Botero," Fernando Botero: Paintings and Drawings (Munich: Prestel-Verlag, 1992) 155-56.
2 Fernando Botero, quoted in A. M. Escallón, “From the Inside Out: An Interview with Fernando Botero,” Botero: New Works on Canvas (New York: Rizzoli, 1997) 48.