Fernando Botero was born in 1932 in Medellin, Colombia, a city located in the heart of the Andes Mountains. During his youth, Botero attended a school for matadors for several years, but his true passion was art. From Colombia, Botero traveled to Spain and France before settling down in Florence where he had the opportunity to study the Italian Quattrocento maestros, rediscovering the techniques used in that era. The maestros idolized plump women and men with curves because it was considered a sign of good health. He pays homage to his artistic forefathers by creating sociologically sensitive artworks according to contemporary norms. These large human subjects are central to his work and the settings and additional elements are secondary.