RELIGION: BEYOND CONVENTIONS

Botero, who said he was “sometimes a believer, sometimes agnostic,” grew up in Medellín, a city where the religious icons in the churches and cathedrals were the art of the everyday, and where the clergy held a great deal of power, to the point that, in his own words, “the bishop was like the Pope.” These recollections remained vividly in his mind and helped shape his works, as in Nuestra Señora de Colombia (“Our Lady of Colombia”) or in the portraits of bishops strolling in woods teeming with nature.

As took place for other themes, the Colombian master explored religion throughout his career, taking inspiration from the tradition of sacred art in 15th-century Italy and from the great masters, who gave him the strength to produce his works in the most complete freedom, challenging tradition and conventions, as may be seen in the famed portrait of the Bathing Bishop.