The artwork “Kitchen Table (2)” is a still life painting by Fernando Botero, crafted in 1970. Botero’s signature style, which often features the exuberance and enlargement of volumetric forms, is classified within the Naïve Art movement, more specifically Primitivism. His paintings are celebrated for portraying a wide array of subjects with a distinctively plump appearance, infusing the work with a whimsy and critique characteristic of his artistic intentions.
“Kitchen Table (2)” furnishes us with a glimpse into Botero’s unique perspective on everyday scenes. The canvas is dominated by an oversized, plucked chicken standing in the center, portrayed in a manner that exaggerates its form to create a sense of weight and volume. This focal point is juxtaposed against a series of onions grouped on a plate, a bottle, kitchen utensils, and a variety of meats and sausages, which serve to accentuate the rotundity of their shapes. These items are placed on a table against a monochromatic, yellow-tiled background, which serves to highlight the subjects. The entire composition is rendered with a simplicity of line and form that is characteristic of Primitivism, yet it remains steeped in a sense of whimsical realism that is undeniably Botero’s own. The overall effect is to render the mundane scene of food preparation into an exploration of form and color, typical of his contribution to the world of modern art.