Botero in the news


On Sunday, The New York Times ran a story on Fernando Botero and his recent paintings on the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers in Abu Ghraib. As far as I can tell, this story was broken by Revista Diners here in Colombia (from which I stole the above picture). And today Slate ran a Christopher Hitchens piece on Botero and the points he raises.

I don't want to get into politics here. The point I want to make is that Botero is another example of the characteristically Colombian talent to make high art that resonates with a wide audience. Botero's portly subjects (in one of my favorite turns of phrase, Mario Vargas Llosa once described them as having a "sumptuous abundance") are accessible to all, maybe not beautiful but certainly attractive. And his decades of pastoral portrayals have made his more recent entry into current events even more impactful. He is an important artist, but he's also a public figure, which is more than you can say about most artists.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez is Botero's obvious analogue in literature. For all of the differences between them, Garcia Marquez has acquired a similar status to Botero, in that he writes undeniably legendary books that are read and enjoyed by the educated masses. And when he talks, people listen. In an age of ever-increasing esoterism, I think the quality of an artist engaging the general public dialogue is something to be celebrated.

And although they might not be public figures, I'd even go so far as to say that Colombia's pop music stars, like Los Aterciopelados, Juanes, Carlos Vives, and Shakira possess the same universality that make Botero and Garcia Marquez so great. That is, they all play a relatively sophisticated music, but they have a pop sensibility to match. Take Shakira, for instance--of her genre, she's the only one of her peers who's writing her own music, playing her own instruments, and enjoying going to the opera, too. There's something about this country that makes high art relevant to a broader audience, and I think that's one of the main reasons why Colombian culture is so vibrant.