BOTERO

Focusing on the Colombian artist, Fernando Botero (born 1932), this is one of a series of illustrated monographs which offer introductions to modern art and artists. Each book presents a profile of the artist and analysis of his distinctive style. Best known for his voluptuous, other-worldly figures, Botero sees distortion of forms as the essence of art, and he often reworks familiar images by artists such as Leonardo, Cezanne, Valezquez and Manet in his own distinctive style. One section of the book is devoted entirely to these "paraphrases", while other chapters focus on self-portraits, nudes, still-lifes, figures and characters, and life in Colombia.