SEVILLE.- The most controversial paintings made by Fernando Botero opened today in an exhibit at El Centro Cultural Cajasol in Seville. The exhibit, “Botero, a Different View” gathers 67 works of art made by the artist from 1999 through 2004 as an answer to the violence that has rocked his native Colombia.

There are 25 oils and 42 drawings that the artist donated to the Museo Nacional in Colombia which reflect according to fellow artist, Juan F. Lacomba, “the influence of the great masters such as Rafael, Velazquez, Ingres, Goya and Picasso”.

“Death appears triumphant in most of his works of art, works that reflect a profound knowledge of the history of art”, précised Lacomba to spanish newspaper El Pais. Lacomba is in charge of the installation of the exhibit. The show, divided on three floors, will be open until June 30 after visiting Valencia, Murcia and Las Palmas.

Botero draws in a style somewhat similar to Pablo Picasso. Whilst he lived in Dinard, Brittany, 1922, for example "Deux femmes courant sur la plage" (The Course). He strives in all his work to capture an essential part of himself and his subjects through color and form.

His work includes still-life and landscapes, but Botero tends to primarily focus on situational portraiture. His paintings and sculptures are, on first examination, noted for their exaggerated proportions and the corpulence of the human figures and animal figures.

The "fat people" is what they are often called by critics. Botero explains his use of obese figures and forms as such: "An artist is attracted to certain kinds of form without knowing why. You adopt a position intuitively; only later do you attempt to rationalize or even justify it."

He is an abstract artist in the most fundamental sense of the word, choosing what colors, shapes, and proportions to use based on intuitive aesthetic thinking. This being said, his works are informed by a Colombian upbringing and social commentary is woven throughout his work.