The artwork, titled “Rubens and His Wife”, is a portrait created by artist Fernando Botero in 1965. It belongs to the Naïve Art (Primitivism) movement, which is characterized by a simplistic and non-academic approach to art.
The artwork depicts a portly couple in a sitting posture, their exaggerated, rotund forms rendered with precise and deliberate brushwork. The gentleman, with a mustache and beard, is dressed in historical attire featuring a brown hat with a feather, matching jacket, and black shoes over white stockings. His hand rests protectively on the hand of his companion. The lady, attired in a voluminous pink dress with horizontal stripes and a high, ruffled collar, also wears a large hat adorned with a ribbon. Her expression is serene and gazes outward with large eyes. The background is adorned with a floral pattern, contributing to a serene and charming ambience that encapsulates Botero’s whimsical and distinctive style. The figures are rendered with smooth textures and rounded forms, characteristic of Botero’s approach, which emphasizes volume and mass.
