ORIGINAL BOTERO OIL PAINTING ' STILL LIFE WITH WATERMELON' . 16X20, OIL ON CANVAS. SIGNED ''BOTERO'' LOWER LEFT. INSCRIPTIONS ON THE REVERSE : ''LUZ DEL SEISCIENTOS, #3,1956''. THE PAINTING WAS FOUND TOTALLY UNAPPRECIATED IN OUR PARENTS ATTIC UPON THEIR PASSING, STILL IN ITS ORIGINAL GALLERY FRAME - WHICH INDICATES IT WAS NEVER HUNG IN ANYONE'S HOME. ORIGINALLY, IT WAS POSSIBLY PART OF AN EXHIBITION. SUBSEQUENT RESEARCH HAS REVEALED THAT 1956 WAS THE YEAR BOTERO DEVELOPED HIS MONUMENTAL STYLE OF PAINTING. AS DOCUMENTED IN HIS CATALOGUE RAISONEE, BOTERO WAS WORKING IN MEXICO CITY AT THE TIME AND WAS INTRIGUED BY THE ART WORK OF THE LOCAL MEXICAN POTTERS. ACCORDING TO THE RAISONEE , HE SOUGHT TO COPY THEIR COLORFUL WORK, AND THEN GIVE HIS OWN ARTISTIC TAKE ON WHAT HE SAW. THIS SIGNIFICANT PAINTING SHOWS THAT PROCESS ILLUSTRATED IN ONE WORK. BOTERO'S MONUMENTAL STYLE IS ALSO EVIDENT IN THIS EARLY WORK, CONSIDERING THE PAINTING'S SIMPLISTIC NON-ACADEMIC PERSPECTIVE, ITS USE OF DISTORTION TO ACHIEVE MONUMENTALITY, AND THE COLORFUL FORMS USED IN ITS VIGOROUS COMPOSITION

- ALL OF WHICH COMBINED PRODUCE AN IMPACT COMMANDING INSTANT ATTENTION. SUBSEQUENTLY, THIS STYLISTIC TECHNIQUE IS ALSO EVIDENT IN THE PORTRAYAL OF BOTERO'S FAMOUS ''FAT'' PEOPLE, WITH THE SAME EFFECT

- INSTANT ATTENTION. IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT THIS MONUMENTAL

STYLE WAS ORIGINALLY DEVELOPED IN HIS STILL LIFE PAINTINGS