Botero, Fernando (1932– )

Colombian painter. He studied in Spain and Italy, developing a naive style influenced by South American peasant art, in which, with ironic humour, he depicted fat, doll-like figures, often as parodies of conventional sensuality, as in his Dancers series.

His paintings reflect his interest in volume and proportion, and his influences include Renaissance art and abstract expressionism. They depict nonchalant figures in everyday situations, for example women bathing, men playing cards, and a family posing for a photograph.