“The Death of Luis Chalet” is an artwork created by Fernando Botero in 1984. This piece falls within the Naïve Art (Primitivism) movement and is classified under genre painting.
The artwork portrays a dramatic scene in a bullring, encapsulated by Botero’s distinct volumetric style. Central to the composition is a striking depiction of a bullfight in which a torero, presumably Luis Chalet, is seen in mid-air, having been gored. The torero’s facial expression is lifeless, and his body is limp, highlighting the fatal moment. Beneath him, the bull stands powerful and unyielding, while another figure within the arena and the spectators form the backdrop. Botero employs vibrant colors and exaggerated forms to capture the emotional intensity and tragic narrative of the event. The spectators, abstracted and rendered uniformly, emphasize the isolation and significance of the central figures, while the swirling clouds above suggest the final journey of the soul, evoking a blend of tragedy and solemnity.