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“GENTE DEL CIRCO” (CIRCUS PEOPLE)
The Contini Art Gallery is pleased to present a solo exhibition titled GENTE DEL CIRCO (Circus people) by the Colombian master, Fernando Botero to be held in our Venice location at San Marco, 2765 from October 24 2009 to April 5, 2010.
Painter and sculptor, the artist was born in Medellin, Colombia on April 19, 1932. Early on in childhood, his time divided between local festivities and bullfights, he developed an inclination towards art. This vocation later brought him to Europe where for the first time, he became acquainted with important Renaissance paintings. This European encounter created restlessness along with curiosity on how to refine his technique and the re-elaboration of Pre-Colombian artistic language as he sought to find an essential interpretation of reality. It is thanks to this humorous style that created the famous robust and sensuous figures, which bear witness to a love of life, a sense of well-being and a love of form, volume and color, that he is today affirmed as one of the most popular living artists in the world.
The Contini Gallery of Art in Venice will exhibit a series of oil paintings and designs of the artist on a circus world theme - a world which he fell in love with during one of his habitual winter sojourns in Mexico, attracted by the people, the colors, the movements and by the tales told of this age-old, yet modern show. Botero prepares a stage, tells a story and illustrates a round-up of beautiful portraits from equilibrists to contortionists, from pierrots to harlequins, from animal trainers to clowns, all brought to life on canvas with his new works, “Circus People” , a theme that was first animated and presented to the public in 2007 at Palazzo Reale in Milan. A gaily colored world, a kaleidoscope of colors from which both merriment and melancholy emerge from the same circus show. If one observes more intensely the comical and ironic images are filled with significant details. Botero, in fact, is not a judge, but meticulously describes without any indulgence or cruelty, no teasing or mocking. The public perceives the substantial ethical nature of this artist and this is what bestows him with greatness.
Alongside the canvases and designs on paper, several Botero sculptures will be exhibited; with their smooth surfaces, warm patinas, and volume in the purest form (due to the lessons learned from Italian masters Piero della Francesca and Raphael), they represent animals such as birds and horses, women sitting or standing and Greek mythological legends.
Galleria d’arte Contini
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