You paint what you know best; what you went through as a teenager and child. My world is the one I got to know in Medellin; I never paint anything else other than that.
Fernando BoteroRead
I was drawing a mandolin, and I made the sound hole very small, which made the mandolin look gigantic. I saw that making the details small made the form monumental. So in my figures, the eyes, the mouth are all small, and the exterior form is huge.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the artistic technique of manipulating proportions to create a striking visual impact.
Fernando Botero's quote reflects on his approach to art, wherein he emphasizes the interplay between size and detail. By intentionally designing smaller features in contrast to larger forms, he creates a sense of monumentality, allowing the viewer to perceive the essence of the figures in a more powerful way. This technique showcases the significance of perception in art, where proportions dictate not just aesthetics but also emotional resonance.
Themes
ArtProportionsDetailFormPerception
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion about artistic techniques in a classroom setting.
More from Fernando Botero
All quotes →In a photo, you just do a click, but in art you have to put in so much energy. This concentration of energy and attention says something that other media cannot say.
Fernando BoteroRead
Nobody ever told me, 'Art is this.' This was good luck in a way because I would have had to spend half of my life forgetting everything that I had been told, which is what happens with most students in schools of fine arts.
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I love my country, and it hurts not to be able to see my country, as I did for so many years. I hope that I will one day be able to live in a peaceful Colombia.
Fernando BoteroRead
An artist is born like a priest is born. If they are born an artist, I would tell them art is not a game: it is something very serious which completely requires everything you have to give.
Fernando BoteroRead
When you start a painting, it is somewhat outside you. At the conclusion, you seem to move inside the painting.
Fernando BoteroRead
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