While I was searching for artwork the other day, I came across some amazing paintings by Botero. (Botero is also known for his shocking and powerful Abu Ghraib paintings, but that’s not what I’m blogging about today.)
It was one of those odd things, where I searched for Godward and it said “You might also like…” and showed me Botero. I can’t imagine how that connection was made, I can’t see anything in common between the two.
I am delighted by these fat, lush images. It is interesting to experience my own reaction, and to see how others have reacted. My first reaction, to “The Bath” (below the fold) was that it was funny; the fat woman, the toilet, the primping. And then I thought it was joyful.
On Wikipedia, I read this:
The “fat people” are often thought by critics to satirize the subjects and situations that Botero chooses to paint. Botero explains his use of obese figures and forms as such: “An artist is attracted to certain kinds of form without knowing why. You adopt a position intuitively; only later do you attempt to rationalize or even justify it.”
How interesting! They’re fat so it must be satire. But counter to that, they’re fat because I like to paint them that way and that’s that. I love that he said that!
Botero has been written about by fat-acceptance folks, from whom I read:
Ironically, however, exclusively portraying fat people in a positive light is not Botero’s intent. He is not, as we would intuitively believe, a fat admirer. Rather Botero sees life in terms of abundance, fullness, richness, and contrasts; this is why his work focuses on a larger form.
I get that NAAFA has a specific agenda, but this doesn’t read right. First, just about everyone in a Botero is fat, not just the positively-imaged people. Second, not having the intention of being about fat positivity is not the same as “he is not…a fat admirer.” These are wonderful, sensual images that challenge our notions of beauty and force us to confront our rhetoric about fat positivity in light of our visceral reactions. I think they’re wonderful.
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