Resurrection in Colombia
The cultoro website described the victorinada that closed Cali’s December feria as ‘la corrida del siglo’, harking back to the famous televised corrida - also a victorinada - in Las Ventas on June 1, 1982, but pointing out that the latest event had yielded nine ears and a tail compared to the six ears in that corrida of almost 40 years ago. Cali’s feria triunfador (not just for his performance with the victorinos) was deservedly Emilio de Justo, but I want to focus here on the outstanding performance by the other matador in the mano a mano, Luis Bolívar.
It was hard to believe that this was the Colombian’s first corrida for over a year. His first two victorinos were both keen on the cloth and Bolívar produced two superb faenas. The first was based almost entirely on the left hand, with the ayuda dispensed with for further naturales on the right, and was calm and measured, the passes given with temple, throughout. The second faena was equally good in terms of the quality of the passes, although this bull was best on its right horn, so derechazos predominated. The prematurely greying matador (Bolívar is 36) killed both animals with single estocadas, his second swordthrust also showing exquisite temple. His third bull was the worst of the string, giving no chance of further success, so Luis ended up with a tally of four ears to Emilio de Justo’s five and a tail, the two of them leaving the plaza on shoulders together with a beaming Victorino Martín García (both Bolívar’s first two bulls and de Justo’s first having been given vueltas en arrastre after some of the spectators petitioned for their indulto).
Luis Bolívar spent most of his time as a novillero in Spain, initially being managed by Victorino Martín García and living at one of the ganadería’s fincas. In 2003, he won Radio Nacional España’s ‘Oreja de Plata’ as the season’s best novillero and hopes for the Colombian were high when he took the alternativa during Valencia’s 2004 Feria de San Jaime with El Juli as his padrino and César Jiménez as testigo. Unfortunately, as he killed his first bull, he was badly gored, the injury putting him out of action for the rest of the temporada and costing his career momentum.
On his return to the bullrings, Bolívar remained reliant on Victorino Martín to obtain contracts, with the result that many of his appearances were with victorinos and he gained a reputation for toreando ‘toros duros’, limiting his ability to appear with more commercial animals and restricting displays of the artistic toreo of which he is capable.
On some days, though, his talent would shine, for instance at Santander in 2006, when he was declared triunfador de la feria after appearing with victorinos alongside Victor Puerto and Juan José Padilla. He’d already won one ear after some lovely passes - including dramatic manoletinas - and a cogida on his first bull. Bolívar greeted his second victorino with verónicas con pies juntos and a larga. There was a pretty, albeit unsuccessful, remate in front of the picador’s horse: this toro was strong and mobile, so it was a surprise Luis felt one vara was sufficient. His brindis caused much amusement, Santander’s mayor standing to acknowledge it, only to discover it was meant for someone sitting behind him! The faena that followed was superb; Bolívar’s work was all very measured and templada, wonderful, emotional stuff that had been pretty much lacking from the feria’s figuras. He tried to crown things with an estocada recibiendo, which ended as a metisaca as he quickly withdrew a poorly-placed sword, but then followed with a second swordthrust that no one could criticise. The president saw fit to award just one ear despite a strong petition for the second.
The following year, on his confirmación de alternativa at Colombia’s Plaza Santa Fé de Bogotá, Luis was awarded two symbolic ears after he had a bull of Juan Bernardo Caicedo indultado.
Luis’s presence this side of the Atlantic has waned in recent years. Despite being managed at the time by Luis Álvarez (former apoderado of César Rincón) and ex-matador Leandro, his only contract in 2019 was at Sevilla’s April feria. His last appearance in Europe was at Antequera on October 9, 2020, in a Gira de Reconstrucción corrida in which he cut an ear. In his home country, things have not been easy for him - corridas de toros have been under threat of local and national prohibition and, along with others of the country’s more successful matadors, he had a falling-out with la Unión de Toreros de Colombia some 18 months ago.
Luis (who has followed up his Cali performance with another superb faena at Manizales) dedicated his excellent faena with his second victorino at Cali to the empresa of Tauroemoción, Alberto García, so let’s hope Sñr. García was sufficiently impressed by the Colombian’s showing to help bring the matador back to Europe in 2022.
