My work is a self-portrait of my mind, a prism of my convictions. Fernando Botero More Quotes by Fernando Botero More Quotes From Fernando Botero I have the sensation of doing something good for people, more than being a trendy artist or a successful artist. Fernando Botero doinggoodartistpeople I have seen Colonial churches since I was very small, Colonial painting and polychrome sculpture. And that was all I saw. There was not a single modern painting in any museum, not a Picasso, not a Braque, not a Chagall. The museums had Colombian painters from the eighteenth century and, of course, I saw Pre-Columbian art. That was my exposure. Fernando Botero smallpaintingsingleart In the '60s, I did many satirical portraits of dictators. Fernando Botero dictatorsdidmanyportraits 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 Botero gameyouseriousart All the animals I've painted always have a relationship with man. I have been told that part of the knowledge of the human anatomy comes from animals. Fernando Botero manalwaysrelationshipknowledge The circus allows one to be logical and unreal at the same time. In the circus, all is possible: there can be a man with two heads or a character with a green face. Fernando Botero facemantimecharacter 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. Fernando Botero goodmelifeart All my life, my girlfriends are always skinny. Beauty in art has nothing to do with beauty in reality. Why do you like primitive art? Because there is beauty in the deformity. Sometimes paintings that people consider realistic are not at all. Raphael figures look realistic, but in real life, they were deformed. Fernando Botero youbeautylifeart 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 Botero livedayhopelove Bullfights have so much color. Not just the matador but also the bull, the arena, and the public. It's all very festive. Fernando Botero bulljustfestivecolor 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. Fernando Botero eyessmalllookdrawing I believe that it's better to have a conviction, believe strongly in something, and then the convictions create a style that reflects your mentality. Fernando Botero yourbetterstylebelieve Expression without culture is flat. Many artists come out of art school and start doing things that don't last. They are audacious because of ignorance. They are irresponsible. Fernando Botero ignorancecultureartschool I had wanted to be a sculptor throughout life, but to do so, I had to stop painting. Fernando Botero sculptorstoppaintinglife Before anything else, I started painting bulls and matadors. That was my initiation to paint. Fernando Botero startedanythingpaintingpaint 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 Botero bestchildyouworld I follow politics very closely. I read several newspapers every day. Fernando Botero followevery-daydaypolitics Art is important because when people start to forget, art reminds them what happened. Like 'Guernica.' People would not remember the tragedy of Guernica today if it were not for that painting. Fernando Botero paintingtodaypeopleart
