Poppies

It is good to see that summer is returning, at least for a week or so. The back garden beckons for an early evening ritual.

Fernando Botero is a Colombian figurative painter, born and brought-up in the troubled city of Medellin.  After travelling widely he settled in New York in the 1950s. He adopted a style influenced by Picasso in which his rotund characters are not caricatures but have exaggerated features, such as in Our Lady of Fatima (1963).  He painted a number of portraits called variations of Society Lady, poking fun at the pretensions of the Colombian bourgeoisie. 

He also painted a number of works portraying life in Colombia such as Picnic (2002) and various images of Dancing (1980).  

In another series of works he painted versions of famous works by other artists such as his take on the Arnolfini (1997) by Van Eyck. I particularly like some of his satirical works such as the Vatican Bathroom (2006) and his protest works, such as that of Abu Ghraib (2005).