Fernando Botero’s large, colorful paintings of corpulent people and still lifes are usually shown a few at a time, and for good reason. “The Baroque World of Fernando Botero” presents nearly 100 paintings, alongside majestic sculptures, and it is like having a feast with far too much to eat. At least until you delve into it! The works are not only voluminous in dimensions and in the outsized characters that are Botero’s signature. They have sarcastic and/or political views of life, often with amusing twists. “The Bath” is a rear-end view of a stark naked woman, her huge butt filling half of the canvas. “Dancer at the Barre” is a massive woman in tutu, pirouetting on a tiny toe shoe. The wonder is that she stays upright. Somehow what at first appears to be an overstuffed show also manages to remain upright.
Published courtesy of ArtScene ©2009
