Fernando Botero b.1932

Marlborough Gallery, New York
Quintana Fine Art, New York
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, Latin American Art, November 20, 2007, lot 62, illustrated in color

London, Marlborough Fine Art, Recent Paintings, November 5, 1983-March 6, 1984, no. 13, p. 16, illustrated in color

Marcel Paquet, Botero: Philosophie de la Création, Belgium, 1985, no. 73, p. 106, illustrated in color
Marcel Paquet, Botero: Philosophy of the Creative Act, New York, 1992, no. 73, p. 96, illustrated in color
Pierre Restany, Botero, Geneva, 1983, illustrated in color
Xiaosheng Xing, Fernando Botero, China, 1995, p. 42, illustrated in color
Ana María Escallón, Botero, New Works on Canvas, New York, 1997, p. 25, illustrated in color
Edward J. Sullivan and Jean-Marie Tasset, Fernando Botero. Monograph and Catalogue Raisonné. Paintings, 1975-1990, Lausanne, 2000, no. 49, p. 331, illustrated

This painting is in beautiful condition. The canvas is still stretched on its original stretcher. There is a small amount of debris adhered to the extreme edges because of a previous frame but there are no paint losses or restorations. The painting should be hung as is. This condition report has been provided courtesy of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Like all great painters in their early careers, Botero studied the works of the classical masters. Botero's first steps took him to the European museums where he started his study of the post-Renaissance masters and their approach to landscapes, nudes, portraits, mythological and historic scenes.  In the early 1960's he started a series of seminal works in which he reinterpreted Van Dyck, Rubens, Ingres, Velázquez, Degas and Manet's most famous paintings. These early homage paintings virtually conserve the main composition elements and the general pose; in fact these elements are reprocessed, reshaped as they exhibit a new quality. Botero's magic lies in his ability to absorb the masters, fusing the history of art into a continuum of voluptuous, colorful and inviting softness.

Venus is a vivid example of this fusion. The theme of Venus (the goddess of Love) and Cupid (representing Desire) originates in Greco-Roman times. From a purely artistic standpoint, it allowed artists to represent their ideal of the female form and beauty. Here, as in Venus and Cupid by Lucas Cranach the Younger, the composition is almost identical to that of the prototypical figures.  Venus is standing, self-absorbed, exhibiting her charms. In both paintings, although very different in spirit, Venus is wearing jewelry (in Botero's painting she wears a Colombian emerald ring) and both have long hair, one of her main weapons which signifies abundance and perhaps availability. As in Titian, Veronese and many others, the presence of the bed indicates the place for the act of love which is clearly imminent since Cupid has sensed the presence of Mars outside the picture frame preparing his arrow of love to strike.