Nature's Beauty, Gag-Worthy

What the painting shows

This painting, in a carved, gilded frame, shows a classic mountain landscape. The sky shimmers in purple, lavender and pink, with fluffy white clouds drifting across it. In the centre rises a range of sharp, snow-covered peaks wrapped in a band of mist at their base. Below them is a dark green line of hills and forest, reflected in a calm, intensely blue lake.

In the bottom left corner, on a rocky ledge above the water, stands a man in a green T-shirt, white shorts and flip-flops. He leans over the edge and vomits a green liquid into the lake, and another green puddle already sits on the rock. This small figure turns the idyllic view into a joke, set up by the title "Nature's Beauty, Gag-Worthy" and the caption "A forbidden smoothie".

The composition deliberately parodies the calm, picture-perfect landscapes painted on TV shows: everything is beautiful and harmonious except for one very human detail.

Technique and style

A vertical oil painting on canvas in an ornate frame finished with gold leaf. The landscape is painted wet-on-wet (alla prima), the technique Bob Ross was known for: the mountains are laid in with a palette knife and white paint over a dark base, the clouds are blended with a soft brush, and the reflections in the water come from vertical strokes. The man is painted in a different, more detailed and realistic way.

At a glance

• Medium: oil paint
• Surface: canvas
• Orientation: portrait (vertical)
• Dominant colours: purple, pink, white, blue, dark green, gold frame
• Subjects: mountains, lake, clouds, forest, man vomiting, landscape parody, Bob Ross

Fun fact

Rats cannot vomit. Their diaphragm muscles are too weak compared with their stomach, they have a strong sphincter, and their brain lacks the neural circuitry for the vomiting reflex. That is why rat poison works so well: once a rat has eaten it, it cannot get rid of it.

Want a similar painting?

The Fart studio paints commissioned artwork: portraits of people and pets, landscapes and absurd scenes like this one. You can order a similar piece featuring mountains, lake, clouds, starring your own pet, a loved one or your favourite place. Just describe your idea in the contact form and attach a photo.