Fernando Botero’s “The Musicians” is a painting that depicts a band of six plump figures – five men on different instruments and one female singer. Created in 1986, “The Musicians” is a prime example of Botero’s signature style, known as “Boterismo,” which features exaggerated volume and forms that are inflated beyond their natural size. With this technique, the artist creates an otherworldly quality to his work.
Botero’s art often depicts scenes of leisure, including people enjoying drinks or dancing. In “The Musicians”, the viewer is transported to a world where these characters are both larger than life but remain familiar in their playful and entertaining interaction. The bright colors used by the artist add to this sense of fantasy with attention given to each tiny detail adding depth and interest.
Among Botero’s paintings from his more than five-decade long career, he has paid homage to various historical masterpieces by putting his spin on them including Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa where at twelve years old; Rafael ‘s La Fornarina; as well as Diego Velázquez’s Las Meninas into “La Menina.” A Colombian Artist who first exhibited in 1948 in Bogota. Known today as “the most Colombian of Colombian artists,” Fernando Botero remains synonymous with Latin American art.
