Boterismo Meets Pop Culture! 

Our 8th–12th grade art students recently wrapped up a project exploring Fernando Botero, the renowned Colombian artist famous for his signature style, Boterismo. Botero transformed everyday figures, animals, and objects using exaggerated, inflated volume and smooth, sculptural shading—challenging traditional concepts of scale and proportion.

What Students Accomplished

• Critiqued & Analyzed: Participated in Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) discussions to evaluate how manipulating form and volume alters meaning and mood in fine art.

• Redesigned Pop Culture: Selected a recognizable cartoon character and reimagined it in Botero’s style—balancing smooth value shading and exaggerated proportions while keeping the character's core identity intact.

• Reflected as Artists: Authored a written artist statement justifying their technical choices and explaining how changing proportion transformed their character’s narrative.