The Monsignor
“Monsignor” - Fernando Botero
As one might expect,Botero is one of my favorite contemporary painters. Others are George Tooker (deceased) Jared French (deceased) and Frida Kahlo (deceased) -to name a few.
Botero’s clerical paintings certainly resonate with me. Their voluminous presence does not imply a shred of mockery, nor is it meant to. Their baroque oppulence says much more about status, position, worldly honor, even pomposity, etc. Nevertheless, in our anorexic culture the images remind me of the more common temptations vexing the celibate. If one successfully avoids sins of impurity, the next greatest temptation is usually gluttony, or seeking in food consolations the denial of intimacy imposes. This means of course that the celibate has not developed an adequate interior life that ought to be the reward of the vow of chastity, as well as the defense against loneliness. An unhappy celibate often uses food to fill a void, or deal with an unresolved conflict. Sometimes the celibate does use sex, sometimes possesions or travel, sometimes alcohol or drugs, and sometimes in severe cases, it’s all of these things. Aside from all of this, I just like Botero’s work.
