BOTERO’S HUMANISM
by Donald Kuspit


Where do Botero’s somewhat inflated figures -- he says they are "rather slim" -- come from? Is there any precedent for them, or are the so-called "Boteromorphs" invented out of whole cloth? Are they "puffed up" to give them "sensuality," as Botero said, or to make a "satirical" point, as he has also said? Are they ironical figures of fun -- comic buffoons, waiting to burst like overinflated balloons -- or is there something tragic about them?

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