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© JimDowns2013

Botero in Bogota


gungajim

Copyright: 2011 "Gunga" Jim Downs;
Software: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3.6 (Windows);

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© JimDowns2013

From the category:

Journalism

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Fernando Botero is the most renowned and celebrated artist in

Columbia, so much so that a large, centrally located museum in

Bogota is devoted almost exclusively to his works. Virtually all of his

paintings portray plump, fleshy individuals, more often than not,

women in various stays of dress and undress. As is the case with

most great artists, less talented (but not necessarily less original)

people devise a way to capitalize on the artist's creativity. In this

case, an enterprising lady has fashioned a pair of (fiberglass?)

casings that fit around her legs giving her the appearance of a

Botero subject. You will find her on busy streets in downtown Bogota

and for a few pesos (or whatever the local currency is) you can snap

her photo and have a souvenir more memorable than anything you

can buy at the local craft shop. I trust I will be next to profit from the

artist's works by, perhaps, harvesting a boatload of 7's on this post!

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Are you sure that those are some sort or prosthetic? Elephantiasis is a disease that causes swelling like the in your image.

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Nice documentary shots and an even better story GJ.We had an artist in the UK called "Beryl Cook" (she died a few years ago) that painted very similar . Limited edition prints from her main series "the fat ladies" are selling between £300 and £800.Apparently she started painting at a late age after her grandson rejected her present of a starters painting set.Unfortunately there is no museum or gallery devoted to her leave alone ladies posing with fat legs.top marks from me as well

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Nice write up and I've know about Botero for many years as my sister once bought me a poster from the Met in NY.

I'm glad to know this woman doesn't suffer from any malady. Nice contrast with the painting.

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Thanks for comments guys. Siegfried, I observed this lady from a distance for some time before approaching her. The upper part of her body appeared to be normal (though a bit overweight) and her feet below the ankles likewise appeared normal. When I did approach her and put money in her cup (with my camera strapped around my neck), she seemed appreciative and gave no indication whatsoever that she objected to having her photo taken. I've taken hundreds of photos of people on the streets of dozens of countries. When I am at close quarters with the subject, I always make eye contact and communicate my intentions. If there is even the slightest indication of reluctance on the part of the subject, I back off. If someone presents a persuasive case that I am mistaken, I will remove the image but I believe I went to fairly extensive lengths to assess the situation before taking and posting the photo.

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