“The Street,” created by Fernando Botero in 1979, is an exemplary work that depicts the artist’s distinctive style and approach within the art movement of Naïve Art, also known as Primitivism. This portrait is a palpable representation of Botero’s visual narrative that often features figures with exaggerated and voluminous proportions. As a significant piece of art, “The Street” articulates the themes and aesthetic considerations of its time while reflecting Botero’s idiosyncratic interpretation of form and space.
The artwork showcases a dramatically oversized male figure occupying the center of an urban space that appears constricted by the presence of the large character and the close proximity of the surrounding architecture. He stands confidently, attired in a brown suit with a white shirt and tie, with a hat perched atop his head, exuding an air of authority or self-importance. This figure’s broad stance and prominent positioning command the viewer’s attention and dominate the scene.
Noticeably, smaller figures appear partially obscured in the background on either side of the central character. These bystanders peering from behind the walls further emphasize the scale and centrality of the main figure. The setting is an alley or a narrow street, hinted by the cobblestone pavement and walls on either side, and the work is infused with a warm palette that gives it a certain vibrancy despite the calm and static posture of the protagonist. In the lower part of the artwork, strewn about the street, are what appear to be fruits and small objects, adding to the everyday, somewhat mundane quality of the scene.
Botero’s work is renowned for this kind of inflationary technique, and it contributes not only to the physical volume of the figures but also to the narrative weight, often provoking commentary on social and political subjects. “The Street” is no exception: it invites interpretation and engagement with its oversized central character and the subtle yet suggestive details of its composition.
